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Current Child Abuse Prevention Programs Start Right: This intensive program is available for high-risk families. Referral and assessment are required. A Family Support Worker is assigned to families identified as at-risk for child abuse and makes weekly, bi-weekly or monthly home visits focused on childdevelopment, family crisis management and parent education. Families served last year: 125 (1,505 home-visits) Cost per family: $2,016 per family per year Pregnant and Parenting Teens: Pregnant and parenting teens in local high schools and transitional housing receive parenting classes 2 or 3 times per week. Most classes are school-based and provide support for teens to stay in school. The classes also focus on self-esteem, family planning, proper infant care and other topics of interest. Families served last year: 86 Cost per family: $337 per year Baby Think It Over: Started in February of 2009, the program provides infant simulators and parent education to students in local middle and high schools. Infant simulators are send home with students for 2 days during which time students are required to feed, change, bathe and soothe their babies. After the experience, students participate in a facilitated discussion about the experience, receive education about infant care and learn about abusive head trauma. Students served February – May 2009: 148 Cost per student: $77 Family Events: Traditional events such as picnics, parties and holiday related activities are hosted by the agency. Members of the community and parents participating in our services are encouraged to attend. The events provide parents an opportunity to interact with other parents in similar situations. They talk to other parents, gain social confidence, and ultimately begin building their own support systems. The events also provide children an opportunity to play appropriately and interact with other children. The goal of the program is to reduce family isolation, a significant contributor to child abuse and neglect. Families served last year: 61 Cost per family per event: $26 Pat Tull Memorial Scholarship Fund: Provides funding for parents to take GED preparation courses and tests and pay college application fees. At present, only families enrolled in other agency services may apply for funds. Circle of Parents: Community-based parent support groups focused on specific topics and age groups. These groups are hosted, convened and temporarily facilitated by our agency but are eventually entirely participant driven. Crisis Room: provides diapers, formula, clothing and blankets to families enrolled in our programs as needed. Other services include: public resource library of parenting information; speaker’s bureau providing presentations on parenting topics, child abuse and baby care; community resource identification and referral.

Current Child Abuse Prevention Programs

Start Right: This intensive program is available for high-risk families. Referral and assessment are required. A Family Support Worker is assigned to families identified as at-risk for child abuse and makes weekly, bi-weekly or monthly home visits focused on childdevelopment, family crisis management and parent education.

Families served last year: 125 (1,505 home-visits)

Cost per family: $2,016 per family per year

Pregnant and Parenting Teens: Pregnant and parenting teens in local high schools and transitional housing receive parenting classes 2 or 3 times per week. Most classes are school-based and provide support for teens to stay in school. The classes also focus on self-esteem, family planning, proper infant care and other topics of interest.

Families served last year: 86

Cost per family: $337 per year

Baby Think It Over: Started in February of 2009, the program provides infant simulators and parent education to students in local middle and high schools. Infant simulators are send home with students for 2 days during which time students are required to feed, change, bathe and soothe their babies. After the experience, students participate in a facilitated discussion about the experience, receive education about infant care and learn about abusive head trauma.

Students served February – May 2009: 148

Cost per student: $77

Family Events: Traditional events such as picnics, parties and holiday related activities are hosted by the agency. Members of the community and parents participating in our services are encouraged to attend. The events provide parents an opportunity to interact with other parents in similar situations. They talk to other parents, gain social confidence, and ultimately begin building their own support systems. The events also provide children an opportunity to play appropriately and interact with other children. The goal of the program is to reduce family isolation, a significant contributor to child abuse and neglect.

Families served last year: 61

Cost per family per event: $26

Pat Tull Memorial Scholarship Fund: Provides funding for parents to take GED preparation courses and tests and pay college application fees. At present, only families enrolled in other agency services may apply for funds.

Circle of Parents: Community-based parent support groups focused on specific topics and age groups. These groups are hosted, convened and temporarily facilitated by our agency but are eventually entirely participant driven.

Crisis Room: provides diapers, formula, clothing and blankets to families enrolled in our programs as needed.

Other services include: public resource library of parenting information; speaker’s bureau providing presentations on parenting topics, child abuse and baby care; community resource identification and referral.

“Inspire Hope, Prevent Child Abuse”

Prevent Child Abuse Oklahoma Announces April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month

OKLAHOMA – Last year, in Oklahoma alone, there were over 13,000 confirmed cases of child abuse. There were 51 child deaths as a result of maltreatment, 82% of those were children under two years of age.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and Prevent Child Abuse Oklahoma (PCAO) is championing the effort to raise awareness in Oklahoma.

“Prevention efforts are our best hope for reducing the effects of child abuse,” said Micah Stirling, Executive Director of Prevent Child Abuse Oklahoma. “The most important thing we can do to prevent abuse is support families.”

Child abuse prevention programs help families learn five protective factors: nurturing and attachment; knowledge of parenting and child development; parental resilience; social connections; and support for parents. When these factors are present in parents, child maltreatment rates are dramatically reduced.

“When we teach parents the five factors, we are teaching them that they can succeed,” said Stirling. “When we inspire hope in struggling families, they are able to solve problems and focus on providing a safe and healthy home for their children.”

PCAO was founded in 1986 to prevent child abuse through education, public awareness, advocacy, support groups and community-based programs. PCAO has helped over 5,000 families develop their skills and abilities to raise healthy children and has reached out with over 150 educational presentations in schools, churches, civic clubs and community events each year. PCAO believes that abuse is preventable through the combined efforts of parents, children, and their communities.

Healthy Families
Healthy Families is a home-visitation program for new
parents needing support and guidance during the exciting
and challenging time of having a new baby. Healthy Families
begins visitation either prenatally or within three months of
birth. Visits are offered, on a voluntary basis, at least once
a week. The family creates a Family Plan and works with a
Support Worker to achieve goals. The program lasts up to
five years.

Parent Support Groups
Parent Support Groups allow parents to get together to
learn about topics relevant to parents, as well as build a
support system. Topics include child development, proper
parent-child interaction, finances, college, and other
community resources.

Play Groups
Play Groups offer parents an opportunity to bring their
children to participate in age appropriate activities to
increase parent-child interaction.

Parenting Workshops
The Parent-Child Center offers Parenting Workshops that cover information needed to parent infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. These workshops are taught at the Parent-Child Center, and at local schools and churches.

Also available:

Links to Community Services
The Parent-Child staff work to make sure that families are aware of and able to utilize any available community resources that will help them meet their goals. We work closely with such agencies as Infant Crisis Center, WIC, TANF, the Housing Authority, and many, many more.

Child Development Screenings
Staff are certified in the Denver Developmental Screening. This instrument is designed to be used with apparently well children between birth and six years of age and is administered by assessing a child's performance on various age-appropriate tasks.

Resource Room
The Center keeps a variety of items on hand to help families with emergency needs. Items such as diapers, formula, clothing and toys are kept on hand to help families in our program through a difficult time.

Exchange Club Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse

437 N.W. 12th Street, Oklahoma City, OK 73103

405-232-2500

Prevent Child Abuse Oklahoma/
The Exchange Club Center

Prevent Child Abuse Oklahoma began in 1986 as a
commitment and dream of volunteers, professionals, and
concerned citizens. From humble beginnings, Prevent
Child Abuse Oklahoma has grown to a statewide reach
and has helped over 5,000 families.

In 2001, Prevent Child Abuse merged with The Exchange
Club Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Together,
our agency has led the way in building awareness,
providing education and inspiring hope to everyone
involved in the effort to prevent the abuse and neglect of
our children.