Dear Families in the Middle,

Ms. Chelsea Bellville, our Middle School Social Worker, shares this week's blog message - a positive and helpful reminder of the importance of daily thoughtful conversations with each child.

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month-
Commit to Prevent Child Abuse!

April is a time to recognize that we each can play a part in promoting the social and emotional well-being of children and families in communities.

The month of April is devoted to celebrating everything we can do to transform our community into a place that cares about – and actively supports -- families and children. By ensuring that all parents in our community have access to quality, affordable health services, parenting education resources, and substance abuse and mental health programs, we make progress toward what the month stands for: April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.

The Six Protective Factors

Protective factors are conditions in families and communities that, when present, increase the health and well-being of children and families.

Nurturing and Attachment: A child's early experience of being nurtured and developing a bond with a caring adult affects all aspects of behavior and development.

Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development: Discipline is both more effective and more nurturing when parents know how to set and enforce limits and encourage appropriate behaviors based on the child's age and level of development.

Parental Resilience: Parents who are emotionally resilient have a positive attitude, creatively solve problems, effectively address challenges, and are less likely to direct anger and frustration at their children.

Social Connections: Trusted and caring family and friends provide emotional support to parents by offering encouragement and assistance in facing the daily challenges of raising a family.

Concrete Supports for Parents: Parents need basic resources such as food, clothing, housing, transportation, and access to essential services that address family-specific needs to ensure the health and well-being of their children.

Social and Emotional Competence of Children: When a child has the right tools for healthy emotional expression, parents are better able to respond to his or her needs, which strengthen the parent-child relationship. 

Chelsea Bellville

School Social Worker

Hudson Middle School

715-377-3820, ext.