April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. As part of our commitment to protecting the children in our community, we’re participating in the Five Days of Action® - a week-long campaign, April 21 - 25, to increase awareness of child sexual abuse and empower and equip us all to prevent it. By taking part in this important campaign and implementing abuse prevention practices year-round, Yakima Family Y is committing to the safety of all children in our community.

The Know. See. Respond. campaign is back this year, and Praesidium, Saprea, and Lauren’s Kids have shared resources to support this campaign.

KNOW
When evaluating camps, sports, and other activities for your child, do you KNOW what questions to ask about abuse prevention? As parents, caregivers, and trusted adults, we play a vital role in protecting children and teens from abuse. Learn the key questions every parent should ask by reading Praesidium’s 6 Key Questions a Parent Should Ask of an Organization—a resource from the YMCA’s partner in child abuse prevention.

SEE
When we SEE grooming patterns—methodical, subtle, gradual, and escalating behaviors used to groom a child for sexual abuse—we can identify them, strengthen our intuition, and protect children. Learn the 6 grooming behaviors every parent or caregiver should know—and what to do if you spot them—by reading Saprea’s blog, 6 Perpetrator Grooming Behaviors, a resource from our trusted partner in abuse prevention.

RESPOND
RESPONDing starts when a child or teen feels heard and is helped. How can you take action to prevent child sexual abuse? The Trusted Triangle (for younger children) and the Safety NETwork (for older youth) are strategies from Lauren’s Kids Safer, Smarter Families Family Safety Toolkit. These resources are designed to help families and caregivers teach personal and digital safety in a comfortable and accessible way.

Explore the Grades K–2 resources through Safer, Smarter Families for Younger Children and the Grades 3–5 resources through Safer, Smarter Families for Older Youth to get started.

We take our commitment to child protection seriously and we hope you do too. Check out our protection policy here to learn more about how we keep kids safe in the Yakima Valley.