Brooklyn Based Toy Maker is the "Cat's Meow"

The Healthy Families Palm Beach Program would like to send a heartfelt thank you to the Monkey Doodle Dandy Company, who donated a set of their “Squaredy Cats” to the program’s new office in Belle Glade.

“Squaredy Cats” are described by the company as “offering fun and whimsical statements of courage and pride”. In addition, they provide a sense of self-esteem and honor in differences. Characters like “Not Squared to be Different” and “Not Squared to go Wild” show children that it’s ok to be proud of who you are! CEO Julie Swindler says: The Agency staff and Board of Directors are grateful to the Monkey Doodle Dandy Company for donating a set of “Squaredy Cats” that each presents a positive message for children.

The “Cats” now have a home in Families Firsts’ new office on Avenue L in Belle Glade, where they will receive lots of attention from our littlest customers.

Thank you again to the Monkey Doodle Dandy Company for their generous donation!

For more information on Squaredy Cats, visit their website at: http://www.squaredycats.com/.

Stand Against Racism

“We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”~Mahatma Gandhi

Please join Families First of Palm Beach County as we support the YWCA in the “Stand Against Racism” on April 29, 2011.

What is the Stand Against Racism?
The Stand Against Racism is a movement of the YWCA with the goal of bringing people together from all walks of life - across the country - to raise awareness that racism still exists.

The methodology of the Stand Against Racism is to bring together like-minded organizations that share in our vision of eliminating racism and celebrating the richness of diversity. By inviting community organizations to partner with us, we maximize the outreach of this mission, attracting hundreds of thousands of participants.

We invite groups of any size that are located within the geographic area of a Participating YWCA Association, to become a Participating Site by hosting a "Stand." We then invite individuals to look up Participating Sites in their community and come out to take a Stand Against Racism.

For a list of participating sites, please click on this link: http://www.standagainstracism.net/search.php



The Impact of the Florida Sheriff's Association

A heartfelt thank you to the Florida Sheriff’s Association (FSA) for your support in keeping children safe! It takes a community to nurture and protect our children.

April 1, 2011...Florida Sheriff's Association  Executive Director Steve Casey spoke at Prevent Child Abuse Florida’s Pinwheels for Prevention press conference today, kicking off Child Abuse Prevention Month. As one of FSA’s top Legislative priorities, Casey used this opportunity to urge lawmakers to maintain the current funding of $18.1 million for the Healthy Families Florida program.

The FSA believes that crime prevention, especially where the crime of child abuse is concerned, is the foundation of public safety. “Sheriffs know the crime of child abuse affects vulnerable children in horrible ways,” Casey said, “and that’s why we believe the best and smartest way to address child maltreatment is to prevent it before it ever happens.”

The Healthy Families Florida program helps prevent child abuse in Florida’s highest-risk families. This nationally accredited home visiting program spares children from the trauma of abuse, reduces a significant burden upon the law enforcement community, and saves Florida taxpayers millions of dollars. For a fraction of the cost of serving victims after abuse, Healthy Families Florida provides services for less than $1,700 per child. According to conservative estimates, Florida pays more than $64,000 a year for each young victim to cover associated child welfare services, hospitalization, special education, and juvenile justice costs.

FSA has been a prominent force in preventing child abuse for decades through a variety of community efforts. In 1989, FSA formed the Florida Sheriffs Task Force, which has assisted in the mass arrests of sexual predators. The most recent sting, during Sumter County’s Spring Break, netted 22 arrests. This was a joint undercover operation between the Task Force and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. The taskforce also had a significant sting in the fall of 2010, when a weeklong, joint undercover operation that involved more than 700 hours of chat time with sexual predators resulted in 22 arrests. “Operation Grim Reaper,” dubbed for its proximity to Halloween, was spearheaded by the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office and involved Central Florida Internet Crimes Against Children, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and top Hernando, Orange, Polk and Sumter County Sheriffs’ Offices.

“We are proud of the arrests we made during the undercover operation to catch sexual predators in Sumter and surrounding counties, improving community safety and reducing the threat of abuse to children,” says Sumter County Sheriff Bill Farmer.

Florida’s Sheriffs fully endorse Healthy Families Florida and agree that continuing funding for this program is a wise investment and is the right thing for Florida’s highest-risk children. To find out more about the FSA and the Florida Sheriffs Task Force, please visit http://www.flsheriffs.org. For more information on Pinwheels for Prevention, visit http://www.ounce.org.

Did You Know April Is National Child Abuse Prevention Month?

You may ask yourself, what can I do to prevent child abuse and neglect? How can I get involved and advocate for those who do not have a voice? How do I become an advocate for children?

Prevent Child Abuse Rhode Island defines child abuse prevention advocacy quite simply:

Advocacy is when you and your friends, family and colleagues talk with local policy makers about legislation that impacts children and families.

Advocacy is when we work together to obtain and maintain funding for prevention programs.

Advocacy is collaborating with organizations, community leaders and public policy makers on issues related to legislation, programs and services that will prevent child abuse and neglect.

Any caring and passionate person can be a voice for children. Know your legislators. Call them. Write them. Tell them how critical it is to maintain funding for quality, evidence-based child abuse prevention programs like Healthy Families and Nurse Family Partnership.

Our youngest citizens cannot wait, and they are depending on us.

Sustaining Healthy Families Florida

The prosperity of our state depends on the strength of our communities and the success of our families.

Last year, 46,000 children were abused or neglected in Florida, that’s one child every 11 minutes.  Of those 51.36% were five years of age or younger and 93% of the 198 children who died from child abuse and neglect in 2008 were five years of age and under.

Dollars spent on a child before age five produce a higher economic benefit than if the same amount were spent when the child is older.  When young children experience child abuse or neglect, it impedes their early development.

Healthy Families is proven to prevent child abuse in Florida’s highest-risk families, sparing children from the trauma of abuse and reducing the significant burden on law enforcement and others charged with responding after abuse occurs.  Last year alone, more than 21,000 at-risk children were free from abuse and neglect because of Healthy Families Florida.  It can cost the state more than $64,000 a year to care for an abused child, but less than $1,700 a year for Healthy Families to prevent child abuse before it ever begins.

In 2010, 97% of children served by Healthy Families Palm Beach were free from verified abuse and neglect.  100% of the participants who were unemployed at enrollment were employed when they graduated from the program.

Let your legislators know that maintaining Healthy Families Florida funding at the current level of $18.1 million is important to you and your community.  This proven program keeps children healthy and safe and helps parents in their critical role of providing the stable, stimulating and nurturing experiences that promote optimal development during these early years.