Our 2016 Public Policy Agenda is now available!

 

And we are interested in your thoughts, so please take a look here and then please let us know what you think in the comments section below. Thanks! 

Now Is The Time.

What a year it has been!

This year because of your support:

• Over 85,000 families were able to participate in the Healthy Families America program, an evidence-based, family-centered program that supports parents in building the foundation for healthy child development;
• Peer abuse (bullying) prevention and child sexual abuse prevention technical assistance centers were created to provide information and share strategies throughout the 50 state chapter network; and,
• Thousands of Pinwheels for Prevention were planted in New York City, Chicago and Washington D.C. to raise awareness for all children to have the great childhoods they deserve!

Give now to make 2016 even more successful!

Did You Know?

Did you know that you can ensure all children have the great childhoods they deserve because our children are our future?

Or, that through Prevent Child Abuse America's signature program, Healthy Families America (HFA), families are finding the support to develop skills and attitudes to provide a foundation for healthy development? 

HFA is an evidence-based, family-centered home visitation program designed to support families as they nurture the parent-child bond and achieve their goals.

This year, over 85,000 families were able to participate in this program! 

Your contribution  can do much more than support a program. Your gift today will allow children an equal opportunity for healthy development. 

Give today to ensure an even more successful 2016!

You Can Do So Much!

You can ensure all children have the great childhoods they deserve because our children are our future.

This year, over 85,000 families were able to receive support from Prevent Child Abuse America's signature prevention program, Healthy Families America (HFA), a strengths-based, family-centered home visitation program.

"I like the continuous support in raising my child from my HFA Family Support worker and the information she brings at each visit pertains to the stage of development of my daughter. She is always available and answers any questions/concerns I have about my daughter and my family. Her support has extended beyond just caring for my daughter but also for the well-being of my family."
- HFA participant, Mother, from Orange, IA

A gift from you will do much more than support a program. Your gift will enable the children and families receiving support and education to nurture the parent-child bond and achieve their goals.

Give today to ensure an even more successful 2016!

You Can Transform A Life.

There is power in one person making a difference. 

Through simple, everyday connections, you can make a difference in a child's life. You don't have to be a parent, a teacher or a coach to make a difference. By simply making children feel noticed and valued, you become an ally. 

This year,

• Over 85,000 families were reached by the Healthy Families America program;
• Child sexual abuse and peer-to-peer (bullying) abuse prevention strategies have been implemented nationwide, and;
• Hundreds of thousands of pinwheels were planted, raising awareness in neighborhoods just like yours. 

You can make sure this work continues to grow and reach children and families throughout the United States by giving a gift today.

Your gift will help to ensure all children have the great childhood they deserve because our children are our future.

Thank you for your dedication to this mission.

We're One Day Away!

Can you believe December starts tomorrow? 

When we think about the year that has gone by so quickly, we are thankful for those who support our efforts to ensure that all children have great childhoods because our children are our future.

This year, thanks to your support, Prevent Child Abuse America has expanded the Healthy Families America program to over 630 sites and was able to serve over 85,000 families across the country! Those families are able to focus on nurturing positive parent-child bonds and parents' efforts to provide the foundation for healthy child development.

We want to do even better in 2016!

By giving a gift  on Giving Tuesday, you will help to achieve that goal and will play an important role to ensure that all children have the great childhoods that they deserve.

We All Play A Role.

For the past ten years I have been honored to be President & CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America. That role is going to change however, because retirement is in my plans for early next year.

The last ten years have seen the incredible expansion of our Healthy Families America home visiting program, now serving 85,000 families each year. Our bullying prevention and child sexual abuse prevention technical assistance services have enhanced the 350 strategies that our 50 state chapters use to support the belief that every child has the right to a great childhood. Without your commitment to this mission, we could not do this.

This very difficult decision has allowed me to reflect not only how important this mission is but how great our supporters are. You have helped prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation's children and for that, I thank you. Your kind, encouraging notes gave me the inspiration to do my job better and for that, I am grateful. You have shown what is possible when people care and that has inspired me.

You have made me believe that prevention is really possible; you have made me believe that people want to make child abuse and neglect not only preventable, but unthinkable; you have made me believe that we all play an important role in each child's life who comes in contact with us.

Thank you for helping me believe that I could do my job; I have not felt alone, because I knew you were there. Please never underestimate the influence your support means to individuals like me.

But there is so much more to be done! Please continue to help our mission achieve the next round of successes to reduce, and ultimately eliminate, child abuse and neglect by making a gift today.

Sincerely,

James M. Hmurovich

President & CEO

P.S. By giving a gift today, you will help ensure that all children have the great childhoods they deserve because our children are our future.

Check it out: The current edition of our newsletter is live!

And you can learn more about what's happening with Healthy Families America, our terrifically popular The Power of One blog post, the National Pinwheel Garden on the National Mall, ultra-marathoner and ultra-Prevent Child Abuse America supporter Chad Weller, #GivingTuesday and Connect the Dots here. So please do take a look and don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions about any of this. Thanks!

Save the Date: 2016 National Conference for America's Children - October 17th - 20th at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza.

Prevent Child Abuse America President & CEO James M. Hmurovich to retire.

Prevent Child Abuse America is formally announcing the retirement of President & CEO James M. Hmurovich. For 10 years, staff and he have worked to deliver on evidence-based strategies to promote healthy child development, supportive services for parents, and the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. Hmurovich’s last day has not been identified and will be aligned with the appointment of and transition to a successor, likely in the first quarter of 2016. A national search for his successor is underway, led by the National Board of Directors with the help of Phillips Oppenheim. “Jim began his role as President & CEO at a time of significant change and transformation in the organization’s history,” said Fred Riley, Board Chair, Prevent Child Abuse America. “He brought a sense of urgency to achieving financial stability and revenue enhancement, while never compromising the organization’s focus on children and families. We are stronger and looking at an even brighter future thanks to Jim’s efforts and leadership.” During his time at Prevent Child Abuse America, Jim was a member of a national office team that expanded the organization’s home visitation program, Healthy Families America, from 360 sites to over 600, increased the state chapter network from 41 to 50, introduced the Pinwheels for Prevention campaign as a reminder that child abuse and neglect prevention is everyone’s responsibility, oversaw the creation of technical assistance services to the networks on bullying prevention and child sexual abuse prevention, and the development of a national movement, Connect the Dots, for children and families. You can read the full release on Hmurovich's retirement here.

Check it out: The current edition of our newsletter is live!

And you can learn more about what's happening with Healthy Families America, our new child sexual abuse prevention infographic and Senior Director of Chapter Services, National Grandparents Day, Kick-Off For Kids 2015 and Connect the Dots here. So please do take a look and don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions about any of this. Thanks!

Care-free and Full of Promise.

Hello!

Ever since I began this job over nine years ago I have constantly asked myself "what can I do to help every child have a great childhood like mine?"

I think about this when I'm in the office, speaking to groups across the nation, doing interviews and even when I'm out taking a walk.

It brings a smile to my face when I see children who are care-free and full of promise. It reminds me about how great it is to live in our nation. It also reminds me that our nation must continue to care about the healthy emotional, social and physical development of every child, because our children are our future.

With school starting in a few weeks, we can all remind ourselves that children are there to learn more than mathematics and literature; they are also learning to manage their emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships and make responsible decisions.

Let's ask ourselves: "What can I do to ensure that?"

A recent study reported bullying, or peer-to-peer abuse, among students age 12-18 dropped to 22% after remaining fixed at 28% for the past 8 years. This is amazing news! Though we have our work cut out for us in order to decrease this number even further, we should feel confident that we are making strides in our efforts to incorporate social emotional learning in all areas of the school system and to engage the broader community.

Together we can make all of this possible. By giving a gift today, you will help programs such as peer-to-peer abuse (bullying) prevention efforts and Healthy Families America, which serves more than 85,000 families each year by focusing on developing these skills and attitudes by nurturing positive parent-child bonds and supporting parents' effort to provide the foundation for healthy child development.

Sincerely,

James M. Hmurovich
President & CEO

Check it out: The current edition of our newsletter is live!

And you can learn more about what's happening with Healthy Families America and the Prevent Child Abuse America chapter network, how you can help us receive a 2015 Top-Rated Non-Profit award from GREATNONPROFITS and Connect the Dots here. So please do take a look and don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions about any of this. Thanks!

A Celebration of Congress and a Push for More.

In response to the U.S. Senate passing a major piece of reform legislation known as the “doc fix,” which included language that would reauthorize funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) for two years at a level of $800 million we posted a brief statement titled "A Celebration of Congress and a Push for More." We hope you will take a look and let us know if you have any questions. We have also pasted an excerpt below. 

"Yesterday the U.S. Congress stepped up in a big way to pass legislation that can make a real difference in the lives of children and families and help promote great childhoods for children.

When the U.S. Senate passed a major piece of reform legislation known as the “doc fix,” they included language that would reauthorize funding for the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV) for two years at a level of $800 million. These funds programs like Healthy Families America that are proven to improve parent-child attachment and family self-sufficiency, and reduce incidences of child abuse and neglect. 

Congress could have easily ignored MIECHV and chosen to spend the money elsewhere. Instead, they prioritized children and the future of our country to fund a program that helps create equal opportunities for all children and families to succeed. 

While it may be coincidence that this happened in April which is Child Abuse Prevention month, it serves as a reminder of the importance of taking action today to make for a better  tomorrow, and that all of us play a role in the healthy development of our nation’s children.

'I applaud members of Congress for their tremendous work in passing this bill and securing funding for children,” said Jim Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America. “They have set a true example for the rest of us to follow, not only during Child Abuse Prevention Month, but for the rest of the year as well.'”

Child Advocates Descend on DC in Defense of Home Visiting and Abuse Prevention.

In response to child advocates, including representatives from the Prevent Child Abuse chapter network, descending on the national capital today and calling for the reauthorization of the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program and for the Child Abuse and Prevention Treatment Act (CAPTA) to be fully funded we released a press release titled "Child Advocates Descend on DC in Defense of Home Visiting and Abuse Prevention." We hope you will take a look and let us know if you have any questions. We have also pasted an excerpt below.

"MIECHV supports evidence-based home visiting initiatives that provide the support, experience and knowledge critical to success during pregnancy and through the first few years of a child’s life. Among the programs supported by MIECHV is Healthy Families America (HFA), Prevent Child Abuse America’s signature prevention program, that provides more than 86,000 families annually with services that are proven to increase the knowledge and skill of parents, improve the early learning abilities of children, reduce incidences of child maltreatment, and improve overall family self-sufficiency.

Currently, MIECHV is set to expire at the end of March. If Congress fails to reauthorize MIECHV, tens of thousands of families across the country would lose access to home visiting services like HFA, and thousands of family support workers would find their jobs in jeopardy.

CAPTA is a historic law that dates to 1974 and is one of the major ways that the federal government funds state programs that prevent and reduce child abuse and neglect. In fiscal year 2015, CAPTA state grants were funded at a level of $26 million, a number so low that resulted in some states receiving less than $100,000 to cover the costs associated with child protection, reporting, and investigation of claims."

Prevent Child Abuse America and Home Visiting Coalition push for budget extension of MIECHV and great beginnings for all children.

Prevent Child Abuse America and its partners in the Home Visiting Coalition are writing members of congress today to urge their support in extending funding for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program. MIECHV supports evidence-based home visiting programs, such as Healthy Families America, that have been shown to improve the early health and development of children and to reduce incidences of child maltreatment. You can read our full press release on the efforts to extend funding for MIECHV here.

Why we support MIECHV, and why you should too.

Right now, budget talks are going on in Washington D.C., and one of the programs being discussed - The Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting program, or MIECHV - is one we care about deeply.

We’re convinced that this program can make a real difference in the lives of children and families around the country.

Why? Read on, and we’ll share our top reasons for supporting MIECHV. Hopefully by the end, you’ll agree with us enough to call your senator or representative and tell them that they should support MIECHV too.

1. MIECHV provides funding for programs that support families in all 50 states, six U.S. territories, and numerous tribal territories throughout the nation.

2. Research has shown that home visiting programs supported by MIECHV, such as Healthy Families America, improve the early health and development of children, improve maternal health and family self-sufficiency, and reduce incidences of child maltreatment.

3. MIECHV has been supported by both parties since its creation in 2009. Democrats and Republicans agree that this program is proven to be successful and is an effective use of taxpayer money.

4. Home visiting programs funded by MIECHV are completely voluntary and are open to families of all demographics.

5. And while the cost of MIECHV is low, the program has shown a return-on-investment of between $1.80 and $5.70 per dollar invested. That means that MIECHV is not only making a difference in the lives of children and families today, but also positioning the country for a brighter and more prosperous future.

6. More than 700 organizations are petitioning Congress to maintain the current funding level for MIECVH, including representatives from state legislatures, tribal leaders, and individuals from communities around the country.

Beyond these few reasons here, there are plenty more reasons to support MIECHV. Yet for us, all of these many reasons boil down to one. We support MIECHV because it works.

Call or email your senator or representative today to let them know that you support MIECHV, and you hope they do. It’s one small thing that can make a huge difference in the lives of children and families around the country.

Prevent Child Abuse America in the news. Child development. A culture of respect. And The State Journal Register.

We want to share an Op-Ed with you written by James M. Hmurovich, President & CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America - here - that ran in The State Journal-Register which is based out of Springfield, IL. We have also pasted an excerpt below.

"What’s critical, then, is to insure parents receive the best and most recent information so they can make informed decisions about what is best for their child.

This is one of the goals of home visitation services like Healthy Families America. These services build upon mutual respect, effective child-rearing strategies, and recognize that parents need, and typically want, information to build a lifelong relationship with their child. This can serve the child and our nation well as the child develops.

Everyone should take the time to learn about services such as Healthy Families America, but I also encourage them to have an effect on the lives of children and their families, including:

* Asking parents we know if they need a break for a few hours to keep stress levels down.

* Volunteering at child- and family-serving organizations to help parents receive services they need.

* Asking corporate leaders, faith organizations and legislators how they can integrate child well-being efforts into their daily lives.

As a nation, we believe that what is best for a child is best left to parental judgment. That works well, provided parents have the best information available. But when it comes to corporal punishment, research is clear that there are more effective disciplinary methods that are age appropriate, contribute to child accountability and promote a healthy parent-child relationship."

A Culture of Respect, Early Child Development, and the Impact of Abuse.

In response to the Adrian Peterson story, Prevent Child Abuse America released a Statement titled "A Culture of Respect, Early Child Development, and the Impact of Abuse" - here. We hope you will take a look and let us know if you have any questions. We have also pasted an excerpt below.

"America is home to many cultures that bring many practices to child rearing and knowing what is best for a child is typically best left to a parent. But parents must be aware of disciplinary options that are age appropriate, contribute to holding the child accountable, and promote a healthy parent-child relationship. This is one of the goals of home visitation services like Healthy Families America. These services build upon mutual respect, effective child rearing strategies, and recognize that parents need, and typically want, information to build that life-long relationship."

Healthy Families America is one of "The Top Nominees for the 5th Annual CLASSY Awards."

Healthy Families America, under the banner of Prevent Child Abuse America, is a top nominee for the 5th Annual CLASSY Awards in the category of "Child Rights." To read the press release put out by the United Nations Foundation please go here. And to learn more about the CLASSY Awards please see the below excerpt from the press release below and/or please visit the CLASSY Awards website here. Please join us as well in recognizing the terrific work being done by Healthy Families America staff and programs across the country and the U.S. territories. 

"The CLASSY Awards is the largest social impact awards ceremony in the country, celebrating the greatest champions of social progress. More than 3,600 organizations worldwide were evaluated as part of the comprehensive, yearlong discovery process. The Awards Leadership Council, a 100-person board comprised of top leaders and cause experts from around the world, has reviewed the Top Nominees to determine the Winners. Their unique perspective and valuable insight establishes this recognition as one of the most prestigious honors in the social sector."