Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Friday, April 15 is Go Blue Day. On that day, thousands of Missourians will wear blue, the official color of prevention, to show their support for children. Many other community events and activities are scheduled throughout the month to emphasize the importance of prevention. Reducing child abuse & neglect, keeping children safe and making Missouri families stronger remain the top priorities of the Children's Trust Fund (CTF), Missouri's Foundation for Child Abuse Prevention. This year alone, CTF awarded over $2.6 million in non-general revenue funding and donations to support community-based prevention programs such as home visitation, safe crib, crisis nursery, teen mentoring, parent education, family support, protective factors that strengthen families and many other prevention initiatives. CTF continued its Never Shake A Baby, Not Even For A Minute, Words Hurt and Parent with Patience public awareness campaigns. These programs directly impact and benefit thousands of Missouri children and families. Prevention is the key to keeping our children safe and building strong resilient families. Prevention is the insurance policy for good health, mental health, crime reduction, educational and economic prosperity for our next generation. Please consider investing in Missouri's children by supporting prevention efforts and organizations in your community in April and throughout the year. Our future, and our children's future, may very well depend on it.