Prevent Child Abuse Indiana September 2022 Newsletter

PCAIN Prevention: Back to School Safety Tips

Say goodbye to summer and hello to fall. It's school time again! Just like teachers, books, and homework go together with the school year, so should safety.

Go over these safety tips with the children in your life.

School Bus Safety

While waiting for the bus, they should take five giant steps back from the curb until the bus has stopped completely.
Inside the bus, have them stay seated at all times.
Keep head, arms and hands inside the bus. Never throw anything out of the bus window.
Always hold on to the bus handrails when they are getting on or off the bus so they don't fall.
Be careful that clothing, book bags, and key rings don't get caught in the handrails or doors
When getting off the bus, have them go to the closest sidewalk or side of the road and take five giant steps away from the bus.
If they drop something near the bus, they should tell the bus driver. If they bend over to pick it up, the bus driver may not be able to see them.

Walking to School

Children under age 10 should never cross a street without a grown-up. Even if a child is over the age of 10, if you are concerned, then guide them across the street.
Choose a safe route to school. Look for the most direct route with the fewest street crossings.
When crossing the street teach children to stop at the curb or edge of the road. Look left, then right, then left again for moving cars before crossing. Teach them to watch for cars in parking lots as well.
Keep looking left and right until they are safely across the street - and have them walk, not run.
They should follow all traffic signals and markings.
Don't enter the street from between parked cars or from behind bushes or shrubs. Drivers might not be able to see you.

Riding Their Bike

If they are mature enough to ride alone, plan a safe route to school and a grown-up should ride with them the first few times.
Children under 10 shouldn't ride on the road without a grown-up.
Remember there are helmet laws in Indiana! Be sure that their helmet fits. It should sit even on top of their head - not rocking in any direction and - the safety strap should be fastened.
Children should learn the proper hand signals and use them when they turn or stop.
Walk, do not ride a bike across the street.
Teach children to come to a complete stop before entering driveways, paths or sidewalks, then look left, right and left again for bikes, cars or pedestrians heading your way.
Children should not ride at night.

In the Car

And last, but not least, if children 12 or younger are riding in a car to school the safest place to be is in the back seat buckled up safely.
Remember, children should be in a booster seat until they are eight years old and 80 pounds.

Click Here for more information concerning childcare safety in Indiana.

Information shared with permission from http://www.sparky.org/

Please visit their website for more safety tips.

PCAIN Prevention Council News

The role of a child abuse prevention council varies widely based upon the needs of the county in which it serves, composition of the council, and capacity to serve. A majority of the forty-four chartered Indiana councils do some sort of fund raising in order to raise operating revenue. A quality fundraising effort helps to raise awareness about child abuse prevention, while at the same time soliciting donations for operating capital. This is one of those scenarios where it seems appropriate to “steal shamelessly and share seamlessly.”

Therefore, I am excited to share the following article created by Joy Heminger, President of the Lake County Child Abuse Prevention Council, Inc., that illustrates a fundraising project, about which she has great passion.

“CHAIRish the Children"

A Project Aimed at Preventing Child Abuse

The goal of all Child Abuse Prevention Councils in Indiana is to raise awareness of child abuse and to educate the public that prevention is the key. The PCA Lake County Council has a project that is designed to raise awareness about child abuse and its prevention.

The title of this unique project is CHAIRish the Children, and it has become well known throughout our county as an annual event, anticipated by adults and children each year.

One unique mindset of this project is by that involving school age children in a serious topic, it enhances our ability to engage the public with important information in ways that are both artistic and fun. Raising community awareness in a visible way has been a key objective of this project and has been made possible due to our partnership with the Indiana Welcome Center, located in Hammond, Indiana.

In November each year, letters of invitation are sent to middle and high schools throughout Lake County. The letters are directed to art teachers, and they encourage the teachers to invite interested students to decorate child-size wooden chairs in a theme that promotes “happy childhoods.” Chairs are provided to schools at no charge and when decorated, they are delivered to the Welcome Center, where they will be on display in the exhibit hall for the entire month of April. Early in May, a reception is held to honor the schools, teachers, and artists who decorated the chairs. The public is invited to attend, where prizes are awarded to students for the most original and well-done chairs and teachers are recognized for their encouragement and dedication.

All the decorated chairs are available for purchase at the virtual auction, which is at the conclusion of the reception. In addition to student chairs, many organizations throughout Lake County also participate by purchasing chairs to decorate. This year, we also had a number of businesses that requested chairs for their employees to decorate.

We are so happy that a project like “CHAIR”ish the Children has attracted such a positive response from the community, and we are happy to share more information with anyone who is interested. PCA Lake County believes that child abuse is a preventable and sharing that information with others is gratifying when it’s done through a project that involves both children and adults.

New Exchange for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

There is a new exchange for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. On July 16, 2022, the 988 exchange went live. The old number, 1-800-273-8255, will still work, but the hope is that the 988 exchange will be easier to remember and become widely known and utilized by anyone in need of additional support or assistance related to suicidal ideation. The link to the July 18th WTHR updated article is available here.

Childhood Nutrition - What you Need to Know

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1 in 5 children in the United States are obese. Obesity is a serious health problem that puts children at risk for type 2 diabetes, asthma, anxiety and depression, and low self-esteem. The rates of childhood obesity have been on the rise,

and the importance of childhood nutrition is at an all-time high (CDC, 2021). Nutrition not only affects physical health, but also intellectual development, school performance, emotional and psychological well-being, and behavior. A solid nutritional foundation is important to proper childhood development and

health over a lifetime.

Upcoming PCAIN Community Training

Please feel free to share our training information with anyone that may be interested by sharing the link to our website

Training Page or Events Calendar.

Check our WEBSITE or Social Media pages often for additional training opportunities

PCAIN Educational Brochures

The internet is a wonderful and useful tool to enhance our knowledge about any topic. This brochure gives parents helpful tips to help keep their children safe on the internet.

Brochures are $1.00 for package of 50 brochures. This is just one of many educational resources available from PCAIN. Click here to order or to discover the many other resources available. PCAIN website now offers “Print Your Own” on the Educational Materials link.

We also offer PCAIN Merchandise on our website SHOP

Kids First Support of

Prevent Child Abuse Indiana

We thank Kids First for continuing to support our charge in ensuring that our mission to "make Indiana a better, safer place for Indiana's most precious resources - our children" is achieved.

Help support statewide efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect by the continued use of the Kids First license plate, or when your plates are due again by purchasing the Kids First license plate. For more information, please visit their website. Funding from the Kids First plates helps us work with our Prevention Councils throughout Indiana.

If you would like to make a donation to Prevent Child Abuse Indiana directly, Click Here