Head Start

Healthy! Healthy! Healthy!

HEALTH EDUCATION

PLAY & LEARN

FUN ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES

JCCEO HEAD START-

EARLY HEAD START PRE-K PROGRAM

Rev. 2014

JCCEO

Head Start-

Early Head Start,

Pre-K

Program

Parent Activity

April is

National Child

Abuse Prevention

Month

Great

CATCH!

Word Bank:

Stop and Think Before You Spank! Complete the puzzle using the appropri-

ate words from the Word Bank below. Answers will be posted on parent

bulletin boards.

Rev. 2014

JCCEO

Head Start-

Early Head Start

Program

April is

National Child

Abuse Prevention

Month

Parent Activity

ANSWER SHEET

Word Bank:

Place Names of Parent Health Tip Moment Winners

Here and Post on Bulletin Boards

Heroes and She-roes Parents are a child’s first heroes. They look to you first for love and reassurance. Draw a line from the heroes and she-roes on the left to the thing that made them famous on the right.

Heroes and She-roes Famous For…

a. Danica Patrick 1. Architecture

b. Ursula Burns 2. Beauty Culture

c. William Durant 3. Poet

d. Tyra Banks 4. Civil Rights Attorney

e. Michelle Obama 5. Martial Arts

f. Neil D. Tyson 6. Sam’s Club

g. Shakira 7. COSMOS Astrophysics

h. Sean Combs 8. Refrigerators

i. Constance Motley 9. First Lady

j. Mr. Miyagi 10.Modeling

k. You 11.Singing

l. Langston Hughes 12.Racing Cars

m. Madame C. J. Walker 13.Record Producer

n. Sanjay Gupta 14.T.V. Doctor

o. Frank Lloyd Wright 15.Your Child

JCCEO Head Start-

Early Head Start Program

Parent Activity

National Child Abuse Prevention

Month Rev. 2014

Signs of child neglect are sometimes hard to see until it is too late. Neglected children do not get the proper care from adults for their age and stage of devel-opment. Children need a safe environment, supervision, food, clothes , a place to stay, and someone to show them love. Very young children may not be able to tell you what is wrong. Be on the look out for signs of neglect, and make sure children are getting their basic needs met.

Find the things that are out of place in this game. We spotted at least thir-teen. Do you see more? (Girl football players do not count!)

MY Heroes

Feeling GOOD

Feel good about yourself and

your child will too. Sing this fun

song together with your child.

Sung to “Twinkle, Twinkle

Little Star”

Special, special, special me.

How I wonder

what I’ll be.

In this big world you can be

anything you want to be.

Special, special, special me.

How I wonder what I’ll be.

Keep Your Cool Unscramble the letters to fill in the blanks and discover

alternatives to lashing out at your child. Use alphabets

from the puzzle to complete the phrase below.

The Pinwheel is a new symbol for child abuse prevention nationwide. It reminds us to ACT UP and ACT OUT against child

abuse and neglect in our homes and in our communities.

Helpful Hints: Pillow; Friend; Prevention Hotline (e.g. 1-800-4-A-

CHILD)

Word Bank Spoil Love Self control Shake Timeout Two Social Hug Tantrum Spank Set limits

TRUE FALSE

____

____

A preschooler’s self control is well developed.

____

____

In preschoolers the child’s social and mental development is not as important as his physi-cal development.

____

____

Toddlers are generally less nega-tive than preschoolers.

____

____

One of the most important social relationships the preschooler has is with her parents.

____

____

Preschoolers learn how to be an adult in pretend play.

____

____

Preschoolers have a very limited imagination.

Loving discipline comes from understanding your child’s growth and development. Take the following

quiz to see how much you know about your child. Put an “x” underneath the response “True” or “False” you think is correct.

Understanding

Child Maltreatment

Child maltreatment includes all types of abuse and neglect of a child under the age of 18 by a parent, care-

giver, or another person in a custodial role (e.g., clergy, coach, teacher). There are four common types of

abuse.

• Physical abuse is the use of physical force, such as hitting, kicking, shaking, burning or other show of force

against a child.

• Sexual abuse involves engaging a child in sexual acts. It includes fondling, rape, and exposing a child to

other sexual activities.

• Emotional abuse refers to behaviors that harm a child’s self-worth or emotional well-being. Examples in-

clude name calling, shaming, rejection, withholding love, and threatening.

• Neglect is the failure to meet a child’s basic needs. These needs include housing, food, clothing, education,

and access to medical care.

Why is child maltreatment a public health problem? The few cases of abuse or neglect we see in the news

are only a small part of the problem. Many cases

are not reported to police or social services. WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THAT:

• 1,740 children died in the United States in 2008 from abuse and neglect.1

• 772,000 children were found to be victims of maltreatment by child protective services in 2008.1

How does child maltreatment affect health? Child maltreatment has a negative effect on health. Abused children often suffer physical injuries including cuts,

bruises, burns, and broken bones. In addition, maltreatment causes stress that can disrupt early brain develop-

ment.2 Extreme stress can harm the development of the nervous and immune systems.2 AS A RESULT, CHIL-

DREN WHO ARE ABUSED OR NEGLECTED ARE AT HIGHER RISK FOR HEALTH PROBLEMS AS ADULTS. These

problems include alcoholism, depression, drug abuse, eating disorders, obesity, high-risk sexual behaviors,

smoking, suicide, and certain chronic diseases.3,4

Who is at risk for child maltreatment? Some factors can increase the risk for abuse or neglect. The presence of these factors does not always mean

that maltreatment will occur. CHILDREN ARE NEVER TO BLAME FOR THE HARM OTHERS DO TO THEM.

Age: Children under 4 years of age are at greatest risk for severe injury and death from abuse.

Family environment: Abuse and neglect can occur in families where there is a great deal of stress. The

stress can result from a family history of violence, drug or alcohol abuse, poverty, and chronic health problems.

Families that do not have nearby friends, relatives, and other social support are also at risk.

Community: ON-GOING VIOLENCE IN THE COMMUNITY may create an environment where child abuse is ac-cepted.

www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention Fact Sheet 2010

Understanding Child Maltreatment

How can we prevent child maltreatment? The ultimate goal is to stop child maltreatment before it starts. Strategies that support parents and teach posi-tive parenting skills are very important. Positive parenting skills include good communication, appropriate disci-pline, and responding to children’s physical and emotional needs. Programs to prevent child maltreatment also improve parent-child relationships and provide parents with social support.

Programs for parents can take many different forms. They may occur in parents’ homes, in schools, in medical or mental health clinics, or in other community settings. Programs may involve one-on-one or group sessions.

How does CDC approach prevention? CDC uses a 4-step approach to address public health problems like child maltreatment.

Step 1: Define the problem Before we can prevent child maltreatment, we need to know how big the problem is, where it is, and whom it affects. CDC learns about a problem by gathering and studying data. These data are critical because they help decision makers send resources where they are needed most.

Step 2: Identify risk and protective factors It is not enough to know that child maltreatment is affecting a certain group of children in a certain area. We also need to know why. CDC conducts and supports research to answer this question. We can then develop programs to reduce or get rid of risk factors.

Step 3: Develop and test prevention strategies Using information gathered in research, CDC develops and evaluates strategies to prevent child maltreatment.

Step 4: Ensure widespread adoption In this final step, CDC shares the best prevention strategies. CDC may also provide funding or technical help so communities can adopt these strategies.

For a list of CDC activities, see www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pub/PreventingCM.html.

Where can I learn more?

TO REPORT ABUSE or GET HELP, contact the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-CHILD

(1-800-422-4453).

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention www.cdc.gov/injury

Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children

and Families www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb

Child Welfare Information Gateway www.childwelfare.gov

FRIENDS National Resource Center www.friendsnrc.org

National Scientific Council on the Developing Child www.developingchild.net

For more information, please contact:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

1-800-CDC-INFO • www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention • cdcinfo@cdc.gov

Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect

The PINWHEEL is a symbol for prevention nationwide, and a reminder to ACT UP and

ACT OUT against child abuse and neglect in our homes and in our communities.

Reach Out:

Anything you do to support children and parents could help to reduce the stress that can lead to abuse and neglect.

Be A Friend…

to a parent you know. Ask how their children are doing. Speak from personal experiences to reas-sure and support. If a parent seems to be struggling, offer to babysit, run an er-rand or lend an ear.

Talk to Your Neighbors…

about looking out for one another’s chil-dren. Encourage a supportive spirit among parents in your apartment build-ing or on your block. Show that you are in-volved.

Remember the Risk Factors:

Child abuse and neglect occur in all segments of society, but ESPECIALLY in families where parents: ...seem to have financial, housing, or personal problems ...are isolated from their family or community ...have difficulty managing anger or stress ...abuse alcohol or drugs ...appear uninterested in the care, nourishment, or safety of their children.

Give Used Clothes, Toys, or Furniture

This can help relieve the stress of financial burdens that parents sometimes take out on their children.

Recognize the Warning Signs:

*Children may be nervous around adults.

*Children may be aggressive toward adults or other children.

*Children may be unable to stay awake or concentrate.

*Children may have

unnatural interest in sex.

*Children may have low self-esteem or poor hy-giene.

*Children may have frequent, unexplained bruises or injuries.

JCCEO Head Start-Early Head Start, Pre-K Program Health Education

JCCEO Head Start-Early Head Start Pre-K Program

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