Dear Friends,

Every quarter I struggle to write this note for our newsletter. Since our Spring Newsletter there have been more mass shootings involving schools and children; highly controversial Supreme Court decisions that will surely impact the wellbeing of families; rising inflation causing food and fuel prices to soar; continued worry and stress from the pandemic; and an ongoing war that has taken many lives and ultimately threatens us all. So, what should I say in this brief note about caring for our children? How do we protect our children and support all families in this time of sadness and struggle? I simply don’t know. Here is what I do know. I know most of us struggle to understand the horrible things happening and wonder what we can and should do about them. Most of us push on through the sadness and strain to do our daily work. Most of us still strive to be kind, inclusive, compassionate, and caring. Our staff at PCA Illinois vow to continue our work to provide tools for all of us to be kind, inclusive, compassionate, and caring. We will work with you to make this world a better place by advocating for and supporting all children and families.
Afterall, we are all in this together!

Children are our future. PCA Illinois recognizes and thanks everyone who is working to make that future a better place.




Denise McCaffrey
Executive Director
Prevent Child Abuse Illinois
PCA Illinois staff and board want to say "congratulations and good luck" to our staff member Amber Anderson as she and her family embark on a new adventure in Florida. Amber served the agency as our Southern Region Prevention Specialist for two years, and during that time she provided trainings on childhood trauma and resilience, helped communities start Child Abuse Prevention Coalitions, hosted Parent Cafes, and so much more. Good luck, Amber!
This quarter we wanted to take a closer look at our Safe Baby Program, which includes Shaken Baby Syndrome and Happiest Baby on the Block trainings. Our Safe Baby Program Coordinator, Belinda Farr, is working hard to develop a brand-new training to add to our program as well: Safe Sleep for Babies. Keep an eye out for more information soon!

As a part of our program highlight, we want to share our list 20 Ways to Cope with a Crying Baby. Research shows that crying can be a trigger for shaken baby syndrome and can lead to feelings of frustration in caregivers and even injury to a child. Check out these 20 tips to help any caregiver cope with this stressful situation! Click the image to download the PDF.
The 5th Annual Southern Illinois Back to School Expo is on July 23 from 9am-2pm at Rent One Park in Marion, IL. Get geared up for the school year with FREE: backpacks, school supplies, dental exams, vision screenings, haircuts, clothing, a food pantry, laser tag, balloon artist, inflatables, mini golf, snow cones, food trucks, a resource fair, and so much more! This event typically has a reach of over 1,200 people and hosts over 100 vendors and volunteers.
The Expo is brought to Southern Illinois by our partners at Blue Cross Blue Shield, Black Diamond Harley Davidson, Salvation Army, and the members of the Franklin-Williamson Positive Youth Development Action Team. 
The law that authorizes the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program will expire in September 2022. Click here to learn more and click here to contact your senators!

This quarter, we also wanted to highlight a few advocacy wins related to the State of Illinois FY2023 State Budget that was passed and signed by Governor Pritzker.

A few highlights from advocacy efforts:
  • 16% increase to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
  • 10% ($54.4 million) increase to the Early Childhood Block Grant (through ISBE) and $300 million for stabilization payments to childcare providers.
  • 6.4% ($7 million) increase to Early Intervention (restores last year’s funding cut)
  • 6% ($1 million) increase to Home Visiting - this is the first funding increase in almost two decades!
  • A 5.3% ($536,000) increase in state funding for Maternal Child Home Visiting (formerly Parents Too Soon) at IDHS 
  • A 7% ($480,000) increase in state funding for Healthy Families Illinois home visiting at IDHS
With school out and summer vacation in full swing, children may have more social activities and free time than during the school year. One thing that never changes with the seasons is our commitment to keeping children safe from sexual abuse. Although a difficult topic to discuss, child sexual abuse can be prevented.
Upcoming Webinars and Events
Click the title of each webinar/event below to register!

Tuesday, July 12th | 9:30 am - 12 pm

October 13th & 14th | 9 am - 4:30 pm & 8:30 am - 1 pm
Save the Dates
Childhood Neglect Prevention Webinar: Exploring the Basics
Tuesday, August 30th | 10:00 am - 11:30 am