Prevent Child Abuse — NJ
New Brunswick — Prevent Child Abuse – New Jersey is calling for statewide participation in April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month by distributing pinwheels and free educational toolkits to nonprofit organizations and offering downloadable campaign tools at www.preventchildabusenj.org.
The pinwheel represents Prevent Child Abuse – New Jersey’s efforts to change the way our state thinks about prevention, focusing on community activities and public policies that prioritize prevention right from the start and help ensure that child abuse and neglect never occur.
Pinwheels are a happy and uplifting symbol of childhood. They are a reminder that every child deserves the chance be raised in a healthy, safe, and nurturing environment. Nonprofit organizations are eligible for free toolkits, including materials to plant a pinwheel garden.
To remind New Jersey that every child deserves a happy, healthy and safe childhood, Prevent Child Abuse – New Jersey is distributing pinwheels and offering free educational materials to prepare communities for Child Abuse Prevention Month. All campaign materials are available at www.preventchildabusenj.org or by calling 1.800.children. Nonprofit organizations are eligible for free toolkits.
Far too many of New Jersey’s children are exposed to harm. During 2007, there were 90,000 children referred to DYFS because of concerns about their safety or well-being and close to 10 percent of these calls were substantiated. More than 23,000 of the state’s children are currently under state supervision because of concerns about their welfare – a number that would fill Continental Airlines Arena twice
Child abuse and neglect often has lifelong consequences for a child, and can lead to a greater chance of delinquency, criminal involvement, drug addiction, chronic health problems, mental health issues and poor educational outcomes. Prevent Child Abuse – New Jersey is working to remind citizens that we all have a responsibility to ensure that our children have happy, healthy and safe childhoods .
This year’s theme “It’s Your Turn to Make a Difference,” reminds all of New Jersey — citizens, business owners, parents, teachers, neighborhoods and community leaders — that we all have a role in preventing child abuse. Individuals and groups can get involved by calling 1.800.children during normal business hours or visiting www.preventchildabusenj.org.
”The actions we take to promote healthy child development are the very actions that help to prevent child abuse and neglect,” says Judith Tell Feldman, president of Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey’s Board of Directors. “Child Abuse Prevention Month reminds us of the opportunities we have to really make a difference for families. We are using pinwheels to remind everyone of the kind of childhood every child in our state deserves. Our goal is to have pinwheel gardens visible in every community.
”We want the state to understand what they can do to support families and ensure that children are nurtured. It can start with the things we do as individuals. Take the time to really slow down and listen to a child in your life. Check in on a new parent who may be overwhelmed. Advocate for programs that provide families with education and support. These small actions make a big difference for families and their children.”

