Friday, January 7, 2011

Child Abuse and Neglect in Child Care

For the Second time this week I have turned the television on to discover news reports of Child Abuse and Neglect in 2 separate Central Indiana Child Care programs. You can read the latest story here. This greatly saddens all of us here at Child Care Answers! Training and Technical assistance can greatly reduce incidents like what we have seen this week.
Please remember that Child Care Answers is here to be your resource to help you through the stressful situations that often occur in child care. On April 16th Child Care Answers will hold our second annual Cherish the Children: Preventing Child Abuse Conference. This is a wonderful conference that will have several experts providing break out sessions. Are you looking for a specific type of training? You can find our latest training calendar by visiting us on our website. What about some advice for your child care classroom? You can receive mentoring for you and your program FREE of charge by joining Paths to QUALITY. Child Care Answers also has an Inclusion Specialist and an Infant and Toddler Specialist that can visit your program to help you work through some of your most challenging situations.
Child Care Answers is just a phone call away! You can reach us Monday - Friday by calling 317-631-4643. Together we can ensure that ALL children are in SAFE, Developmentally Appropriate child care sites!

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Child Care Answers response to recent media story


In light of the recent report of possible child abuse at a Lawrence unlicensed registered ministry our Program Director, Mindy Bennett sent this letter to local media.

My name is Mindy Bennett and I am the Director of Programs for Child Care Answers the Child Care Resource and Referral agency that services Central Indiana. We are a free service that helps parents locate and evaluate child care options for their children. In November alone we helped over 450 families with their child care search. We have a database of over 1400 child care providers that we provide training and mentoring opportunities to.

I want to thank you for running the story about the possible abuse of a child at Little Miracles child care. All children that are in child care deserve to be in safe, high quality child care programs. All child care sites in Indiana should be required to have trained staff and required to ensure that their environments are safe for children.

In Indiana, Ministries that provide child care are not required to be licensed. Ministries that provide child care are required to be registered with the state of Indiana, while this registration does have some regulation attached to it the regulations are far fewer then that of a licensed child care center. Little Miracles is an unlicensed registered ministry. You can compare the regulation requirements of a ministry to licensed homes and licensed centers by following this link to find our regulation comparison chart http://www.childcareanswers.com/PDF_Docs/FacilityRegulations.pdf. It is important to note that some Unlicensed Registered Child Care Ministries do voluntarily go above the requirements.

The staff at Child Care Answers works daily with child care providers by training them and providing on site technical assistance to ensure that children are kept safe while their parents work or attend school. We have Specialists that are a free resource to child care providers and parents who can provide specific training on issues related to guidance and discipline and other child care related issues.

I know that this incident has left many families scared and confused about leaving their children in child care. Please let your viewers know that Child Care Answers is here to help families with our free services during this troubled time. We have a team of specialists that can help families with their specific questions about child care and how to tell if a program is providing safe, quality care. We are only a phone call away; you can reach us at 317-631-4643. Parents can also find valuable tools on our website at http://www.childcareanswers.com/.

Click here to read more about the story.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest


The 2011 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Essay Contest for Middle & Junior High Students is now available online at http://www.indianablackexpo.com/pdf/MLK%20Brochure%202011.pdf.

In his 1964 book entitled, What Manner of Man A biography of Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “The function of education …is to teach one to think intensively and to teach one to think critically. We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character- this is the goal of true education.”

Essay Question: President Obama has launched an “Educate to Innovate” campaign to improve the participation and performance of American students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). In 450 words or less, explain the importance of education and how it will help you attain your future goals.

The deadline for this year’s contest is Monday, February 7, 2011.

Awards will be given to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners as well as the school with the most entries.

If you have any questions contact Dianna: Indiana Black Expo Youth & Family Programs- 317-925-2702

21 HEALTHY NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR KIDS

The following New Year tips are from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Preschoolers

~I will clean up my toys and put them where they belong.
~I will brush my teeth twice a day, and wash my hands after going to the bathroom and before eating.
~I won’t tease dogs or other pets – even friendly ones. I will avoid being bitten by keeping my fingers and face away from their mouths.

Kids, 5- to 12-years-old

~I will drink 2% milk and water three times each day, and limit soda and fruit drinks to once each day.
~I will apply sunscreen before I go outdoors on bright sunny days. I will try to stay in the shade whenever possible and wear a hat and sunglasses, especially when I’m playing sports.
~I will try to find a sport (like basketball or soccer) or an activity (like playing tag, jumping rope, dancing or riding my bike) that I like and do it at least three times a week!
~I will always wear a helmet when bicycling.
~I will wear my seat belt every time I get in a car. I’ll sit in the back seat and use a booster seat until I am tall enough to use a lap/shoulder seat belt.
~I’ll be nice to other kids. I’ll be friendly to kids who need friends – like someone who is shy, or is new to my school
~I’ll never give out personal information such as my name, home address, school name or telephone number on the Internet. Also, I’ll never send a picture of myself to someone I chat with on the computer without my parent’s permission.

Kids, 13-years-old and up

~I will eat at least one fruit and one vegetable every day, and I will limit the amount of soda I drink to one glass daily.
~I will take care of my body through physical activity and nutrition.
~I will choose non-violent television shows and video games, and I will spend only one to two hours each day – at the most – on these activities.
~I will help out in my community – through volunteering, working with community groups or by joining a group that helps people in need.
~When I feel angry or stressed out, I will take a break and find constructive ways to deal with the stress, such as exercising, reading, writing in a journal or discussing my problem with a parent or friend.
~When faced with a difficult decision, I will talk about my choices with an adult whom I can trust.
~When I notice my friends are struggling or engaging in risky behaviors, I will talk with a trusted adult and attempt to find a way that I can help them.
~I will be careful about whom I choose to date, and always treat the other person with respect and without coercion or violence. I will expect the same good behavior in return.
~I will resist peer pressure to try drugs and alcohol.
~I agree not to use a cell phone or text message while driving and to always use a seat belt.


American Academy of Pediatrics, 12/10


Monday, January 3, 2011

Cherish the Children: Prevent Child Abuse



Count Down...
15 weeks until Child Care Answers 2nd Annual Cherish the Children Conference- Saturday, April 16, 2011- Don't Miss It!



The Body Safety Program

Terry Hall is a 37-year veteran of the Indianapolis Police Department. He developed the Body Safety program in the early 1980s when he was with the child abuse unit investigating sex crimes. Though he’d won the IPD “Officer of the Year” award for his arrests and convictions, he said he couldn’t hang the award on his wall. He was too devastated by the light sentences the courts gave to the molesters he caught. Children weren’t being believed in the courts and, with sexual abuse, rarely has hard physical evidence.

“I realized apprehension is not working,” Hall said. “You have to go for prevention.” He then began developing the program to prevent abuse and identify abusers. Over the years, he changed the title from “Good Touch, Bad Touch” to “Body Safety” to go with other school programs like “bus safety” and “fire safety.” And, he noted, not all good touch, like from parents and doctors, feels good. He wanted to clarify that in the minds of the students. To develop the program, he talked to teachers and prosecutors. He talked to abuse victims and pedophiles. He interviewed hundreds of convicted molesters over the years. One thing he asked was how they got their victims to stay quiet. “I expected them to tell me, ‘we’ll kill their parents; we’ll kill their dogs, we’ll do this, that,;” Hall said. “They don’t even threaten kids. They said, ‘We don’t tell kids not to tell about child molesting. You do.’” The revelation hit him like lightning. That’s why Hall believes it’s imperative for parents and adults to talk frankly to kids about their private areas and not be embarrassed or ashamed. “If you can’t teach kids to say the terms without embarrassment, how can you ever get them to admit their uncle touched them there?” he said.

“I know of no other programs in the United States that actually teach children: these are your private parts and give them the correct names of the body. We’ve got one name for the thumb, one name for the elbow and 5,000 names for the private parts of the body,” he said. “So if we can’t discuss them in open forum or in hygiene issues and medical issues, how could we ever tell the most embarrassing thing: being sexually assaulted?” That’s wheat sets Hall’s program apart. He doesn’t mince words. He presents the terms factually and tastefully in ways students will understand. He said some folks tell him their community couldn’t handle the candor. With his fully booked schedule years ahead, “Somebody’s community’s handling it,” he says.

His program is presented in half hour segments. It’s broken into grade divisions: generally kindergarten through second grade, then grades 3-4, 5-6, 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12. “So where I’ll be talking ‘good touches and bad touches’ under third grade, third grade and over we’re talking child molest,” he said. For junior high and high school students, he adds the issue of date rape. In high school, he also gives students signals to watch for in their younger siblings. “A young kid will tell their big brother in high school about child molest before they tell their mom and dad,” he said. Before he speaks to any students, he holds a session for teachers and parents the night before. He goes over the material he will be presenting to the students and makes sure support will be there for kids who disclose abuse. “What’s worse than a child being molested,” he said, “is a child telling someone and not being believed.”

In the 23 years he’s presented the program to schools, Hall estimates 1,500-2,000 students have come forward either for themselves or a friend. Never have fewer than three students disclosed abuse. At one school, there were 80. Wherever he speaks, social services, school counselors, plain clothes officers from the local area and sometimes state police departments are all there as a safety new for the kids. Hall doesn’t actively promote the program to schools or communities. He lets those who’ve already brought him to their communities do that. “If I’ve got to come in and convince somebody that something like this is needed,” he said, “I’m really working up hill from the start.” But he said child molestation is happening in every county, every community, whether folks there want to admit it or not. And every community must address it. “If you don’t have an active program, you’re saying one of two things: it doesn’t occur, or we don’t care,” he said. “And I don’t like either one of those.” He said the program not only exposes molesters already in communities, but can keep some of the hardcore predators away. “If he knows that every year, every school-aged child in the city is going to be asked – ‘has anyone ever given you a bad touch for no good reason:’ – is he going to apply his trade there? Why would he do that when he can go 15 miles east or 15 miles west and find a school system that doesn’t have any program?” he said.

It takes a partnership from everyone within the community – partnerships among parents and schools and prevention groups and businesses and law enforcement. Child molestation is like a cancer on the victims and on our communities. In any fight against cancer, awareness and prevention is the key. For child sexual abuse, that begins with open communication. For adults it means candidly talking to our kids, empowering them to protect their bodies, listening to them and supporting them.

Terry Hall can be contacted to do Body Safety Programs: Cell: 317.607.5306 or email: thall26@comcast.net

Taken from Sgt. Terry Hall’s Public Agency Training Council information: Lifting the Shadows by Richard Biever