COMMUNITY
By: Nicole Heller
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. New Hampshire Children’s Trust (NHCT), in collaboration with our national partner, Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA), uses this month as an opportunity to spread awareness about ways to stop child abuse and neglect before it happens.
Much of the focus of prevention work is helping parents find resources they need to be financially stable, well-regulated adults who are knowledgeable about child development and emotionally available to their children. As PCAA says, “Child abuse and neglect are not a ‘bad parent’ problem; they’re most often a lack of resources problem.” Affordable housing, high-quality child care, access to health care, free school meal programs and paid family leave are all ways we can keep families out of crisis mode and reduce the likelihood of child abuse and neglect.
To provide essential resources to families and do prevention work well, it takes a whole village. That’s where businesses come in! When we use a village approach, sometimes called a “systems approach,” to stop child abuse and neglect, everyone plays a role, because we all benefit when families thrive.
Families who have adequate resources can support their local businesses. Parents who have high-quality child care can fully take part in the labor force. Healthy, thriving children grow up to be healthy, thriving adults who build and shape prosperous communities.
Here are ways your organization can partner with New Hampshire Children’s Trust during Prevention Month and beyond:
Set up a pinwheel garden at your business to raise awareness about Prevention Month. We supply everything you need!
Host a “Wear Blue Day” at your place of work on April 10 to honor Prevention Month. Send NHCT a picture so we can feature your business on our socials.
Sponsor a table and join us for our Child Abuse Prevention event on the State House Lawn April 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Don’t forget to wear blue!
Partner with NHCT to offer free parent trainings to employees during lunch hours.
Consider sponsoring a rider or team of riders for NHCT’s annual Ride for Resilience, a charity bicycle ride that helps New Hampshire’s network of child- and family-strengthening organizations.
Sponsor and join us for our annual Strengthening Families Summit, a gathering where attendees explore ways to help families flourish.
Volunteer to help with NHCT’s free diaper and essential hygiene product distribution program. We are currently seeking partners who have available storage space in Concord, who make deliveries throughout the state, or who set aside days each year for their whole staff to volunteer together.
New Hampshire Children’s Trust looks forward to partnering with your business to continue to make New Hampshire a great “village” to raise a family!
Nicole Heller is the senior director of programs and impact at the New Hampshire Children’s Trust. She holds a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of Maine and is an alumna of Leadership New Hampshire’s class of 2025. Nicole is a proud Manchester resident where she lives with her husband and two boys.
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April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. New Hampshire Children’s Trust (NHCT), in collaboration with our national partner, Prevent Child Abuse America (PCAA), uses this month as an opportunity to spread awareness about ways to stop child abuse and neglect before it happens.
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