The media can be an effective partner in disseminating prevention messages. The news media have specific criteria for determining what is worth covering, so program planners need to frame the issue in an appealing way to get their attention. By planning effective and newsworthy activities, communities can help promote healthy parenting practices, child safety skills, and protocols for reporting suspected maltreatment.
Use the following resources to get ideas for planning an activity or program in your community.
National examples
Children's Trust Funds
State Children's Trust Funds (CTFs) and their local councils and affiliates coordinate child abuse and neglect prevention and public awareness activities in each State.
Darkness to Light
A media campaign to reduce the incidence of child sexual abuse through public awareness and education.
National Coalition to End Child Abuse Deaths
Every Child Matters
Describes a nonpartisan group of six organizations working to enlist the government and members of the media to bring attention to child abuse deaths and to develop a national strategy to prevent future deaths.
The Period of Purple Crying
National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome
Addresses the age when babies cry more than any other time and equips caregivers with strategies to soothe the baby and cope with stress.
text4baby
National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition
Presents a program that sends expectant mothers or new mothers free text messages with pregnancy tips and parenting tips to care for their babies. The messages are timed to a baby's due date or birth date.
State examples
Alaska Children’s Trust National Child Abuse Prevention Month Partner Toolkit
Includes community outreach materials such as posters, social media templates, and event suggestions to support National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Arkansas Child Abuse Prevention
Offers a list of tips for parents with infants that can be easily shared with community members.
Delaware Community Awareness Initiatives
Overviews Delaware’s initiatives to connect with the community, including Pinwheels for Prevention, bilingual resource guides, and activity guides for promoting parent-child engagement.
Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) Family Support and Prevention Service – Child Abuse Prevention Month
Includes Oklahoma’s Child Abuse Prevention Month newsletter with event schedule and resource links.
Pinwheels for Prevention Community Resource Guide
Prevent Child Abuse America New York
Describes an effort to change the way individuals think about child abuse prevention by focusing on community activities and public policies that prioritize prevention right from the start to make sure child abuse and neglect never occur.
Virginia Department of Social Services
Presents information on Child Abuse Prevention Month efforts in Virginia. Resources include a prevention packet and tip sheets for parents that address positive parenting, child development, raising healthy and happy children, and preventing abuse or neglect.
Wisconsin Child Abuse & Neglect Prevention Board
Overviews Wisconsin’s Five for Families campaign, which promotes awareness of the five protective factors for preventing child abuse. The Five for Families website includes a step-by-step guide with messaging tips and graphic design examples.
Local examples
Blue Kids Campaign
Discusses a child abuse prevention campaign in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota and offers information about spreading awareness and how members of the public can help.
Cardboard Kids
Highlights a child abuse prevention campaign in San Antonio, Texas, that uses two-foot-tall cardboard kid cutouts to draw attention to the pervasiveness of child abuse and get the conversation started around child abuse prevention.
Child Abuse and Neglect Council of Saginaw County
Describes the council's public awareness activities during Child Abuse Prevention Month and year-round.
Child Abuse Council of the Quad Cities
Describes a variety of local and regional activities organized by the council.
Face It
Presents a campaign in Louisville, KY, that addresses best practices in child abuse prevention and community engagement and promotes effective policies to improve the child welfare system.
Stop Child Abuse Now of Northern Virginia
Find information on numerous past and present local activities. Learn more about their Allies in Prevention Coalition, which works to communicate regional messages to prevent child abuse and promote children's well-being.