Hey ya’ll Georgia peaches, April is Child Abuse and Neglect Awareness month. Did you know that in a 2019 study by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Georgia is ranked 38th in the nation for a child’s well-being? According to a 2018 study from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for Children and Families, 4.1 million referrals were made to Child Protective Services involving 7.5 million children. Of those children, there was a national unique count of 674,000 abuse victims. In Georgia, 122,752 maltreatment reports were received by CPS where there was a substantiated amount of 10,487 victims. Of those victims, 97 were fatalities. This is a call to action for all Georgia childcare teachers!
Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood, between the ages of birth to 17 years old. Some examples of ACEs are experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect; witnessing violence in the home or community; or having a family member attempt or die by suicide. Also included are aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding, such as growing up in a household with: substance use problems; mental health problems; or instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison.
It doesn’t just stop at childhood. Unfortunately, ACEs are linked to chronic health problems, mental illness, and substance use problems later in a child’s life into their adulthood! ACEs can also negatively impact education, job opportunities, and earning potential. However, ACEs can be prevented.
We here at H&H Child Care Training Center believe that all children deserve a positive learning environment with adults who care for them, which is why we have created classes on supporting children who have experienced ACEs such as The Super Here in Us All or classes on Abuse and Neglect: Signs and Reporting.
All our online courses provide text, voice, and videos to make the content engaging as well as informative and are Bright from the Start approved for clock hours! Search the GaPDS website under our Approved Sponsor Organization code (TR-ASO-76) for a full list of all our courses!
Visit our website to see a full list of classes on how to support the children in your classroom today!