Ever since April was designated as National Child Abuse Prevention (CAP) Month in 1983, Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) and its nationwide network of state chapters, along with other child welfare organizations, have recognized it as a time to raise awareness and inspire collective action, so that our country’s children can lead their best lives.

What is Child Abuse Prevention Month?

Many innovative strategies are employed to promote National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Events and activities have included everything from kid’s art contests to coordinated visits to state legislators and days of prayer. Many of our PCA America state chapters have created guides with suggestions to help with social media campaigns, creating community programs, and much more. Check out these Child Abuse Prevention Month toolkits from Kansas, North Carolina, and Virginia.

This year’s national campaign theme is “Every day, we help positive childhood experience take root!” We encourage our chapters, affiliates, and stakeholders to use a garden metaphor to reinforce this message. Here are some talking points to use as examples:

• Children are locally grown. We work together to cultivate relationships, connections, and environments that help every child thrive.
• We harvest what we sow. We plant seeds of support for all children to yield healthier adults with abundant futures.
• Work is rooted in science. We know positive childhood experiences in nurturing environments provide fertile ground for physical and mental health, learning, and social skills to flourish.  We unearth the possibilities. We focus on innovation every day to give every child what they need and to build bountiful, safe communities.
• Planning and purpose create common ground. We share resources equitably, expand access to services, and balance conditions for positive childhood experiences to enrich every community.
• We tend and replenish the soil. We offer homegrown solutions and hardy support to protect what we grow in all elements.
• Hope and commitment are powerful fertilizers. We combine the promise of a better tomorrow with our resolve to nourish all children and their families in every season.