Health and Fitness : Benton-Iowa Decat (BID) recognizes everyday actions that create great childhoods

Abuse Prevention Month celebrates the role everyone plays in strengthening families and communities.

This April, BID and Prevent Child Abuse Iowa are joining communities across the nation in celebrating the small actions people take every day that make a big difference in children’s lives. Actions can include bringing a meal to a new parent, listening to someone’s story or organizing a neighborhood activity. Research shows that these caring connections can improve a child’s future health and well-being, and make communities stronger overall.

“We want to bring attention to the simple things that you and I can do to ensure great childhoods for all children in our community,” said Heidi Schminke, BID Co-Director. “Our children are our future and if we take action not just in April but every day, we can go a long way toward creating a community where all children grow up healthy and successful and where abuse and neglect never occur.”

By decreasing child abuse by just 5% the money saved could be used to purchase 19,054 homes for single families1. If child abuse decreased by 10% the money saved could pay for 666,667 children to go to an accredited childcare center2 for a year. Even when gas was at its highest price in 2011 the money spent on child abuse could still buy 742,857,143 barrels3 or 26 billion gallons of gas. Getting rid of child sexual abuse4 and the costs associated with it could pay for 586,190 middle school teachers5. Last but not least, the money spent on hospitalizing6 child abuse victims every year could pay for 9,215,520 children to acquire public insurance7.

Child abuse and neglect can cause an intense level of stress that over time, changes the structure of the developing brain and leads to poor health, learning and overall well-being. An Iowa study found that more than half of Iowa adults have experienced at least one type of abuse or household dysfunction growing up and that this trauma increases the likelihood of problems throughout a lifetime including depression, diabetes and heart disease.

However, recent research is proving that caring connections can strengthen families from the start, before abuse occurs. Connected communities also have lower levels of crime and interpersonal violence, members have better physical and mental health and less money is spent on treating social problems.

During April, BID invites community members to celebrate the great childhoods all children deserve by sharing words your child needs to hear: “I’m so lucky to have you”; “You are a great helper!”; “Let’s talk about it” or even something as simple as “I love you” or “I’m sorry”

“You might not even realize that what you are doing is enhancing the lives of children and preventing child abuse,” said Steve Scott, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse Iowa. “Every time you knock on a neighbor’s door to see if they need help with babysitting or housework, volunteer at a child-serving agency, or take a stand for a program or policy that you feel should be a part of your neighborhood, you’re helping create great childhoods. As more children grow up to succeed, our communities become stronger as well.”

Throughout April, watch for the blue pinwheel as the symbol of the happy, carefree childhood that all children deserve.

ABOUT Benton-Iowa Decat (BID)

Benton-Iowa Decat is designed to use child welfare and juvenile justice funding for services which are preventive, family centered and community-based in order to reduce use of restrictive approaches that rely on institutional, out-of- home and out-of-community care for children. For more information, contact BID at bentoniowadecat@gmail.com.

ABOUT PREVENT CHILD ABUSE IOWA

Since 1975, Prevent Child Abuse Iowa has served its mission of leading child abuse prevention efforts in Iowa by building Awareness, providing Assistance, and promoting Advocacy. It is the only statewide organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and the only consistent voice for child abuse prevention during the state legislative session. Prevent Child Abuse Iowa manages state and federal grant programs that contribute financial support to community groups that provide services to families. Prevent Child Abuse Iowa is based in Des Moines, but has partnerships in nearly every county throughout Iowa. It is an affiliate of Prevent Child Abuse America. For more information, call (800) CHILDREN or visit www.pcaiowa.org.