KERN CHILD ABUSE PREVENTION COUNCIL / HAVEN COUNSELING CENTER
s e n i l d a e H Haven March 2012
From The Director Kern child Abuse Prevention Council/Haven Counseling Center is joining with the Center for Effective Discipline to celebrate “Spank Out Day” April 21, 2012 as part of our Festival of Childhood. Spank Out Day USA was initiference for our community. ated in 1998 to give widespread attenFamilies recovering from tion to the need to end corporal punchild abuse and neglect ishment of children and to promote travel through many difficult non-violent ways of teaching children roads and along the line appropriate behavior. All parents, there is always that one per- guardians and caretakers of children son who helped them acare encouraged to refrain from hitting complish their goal to learn children on this day—and every day— how to provide a safe enviand to seek alternative methods of discironment for their family. If pline through parenting programs you know someone who is available at community agencies, deserving of this recognicschools and churches. ition The American Academy of Pediatrics please let does not endorse spanking for any reaus know. son. They found that children who We would were spanked more frequently at age 3 like to were more likely to be aggressive by honor age 5. The research on the pitfalls of them at a corporal punishment, including a study reception done by Duke University, revealed that at our H infants who were spanked at 12 street ofmonths scored lower on cognitive tests fice. at age 3. Compared with children who Please fax were not hit, those who were spanked your nomi- were more likely to be defiant, demand nations to: immediate satisfaction of their wants Priscilla and needs get frustrated easily, have Acosta at (661) 327-7895. temper tantrums and lash out physically against others. Instead, they supporting strategies such as time-outs when children misbehave which focuses on getting kids to reflect on their behavior and consequences of their actions. Investing the time early on to teach a child why their behavior is wrong translates to a more self-aware and in-control youngster in Helping families heal from the long run child abuse and neglect.
National Child Abuse Prevention Kern Child Abuse Prevention Council / Haven Counseling Center is celebrating APRIL National Child Abuse Prevention month with a Festival of Childhood and a Community reception.
Festival of Childhood Date: April 21, 2012 From: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. 730 Chester Ave. (Parking Lot at Haven Counseling Center) Come and enjoy a family fun day at Haven Counseling Center’s parking lot. Food will be free and tasty. Meet Bakersfield’s new chapter of B.A.C.A (Bikers Against Child Abuse) Come and see them roll in on their Harley’s and visit a while. Find out how they are helping prevent child abuse in our community. They will be helping us out with the hot dogs. Come have fun with us and learn the resources that are available to you. We have invited many agencies in the community that have something to offer families. The WIC Bus will be with us. If you are in need of WIC and meet the
qualifications WIC can print your vouchers immediately after they take your information. We hope you can join us at this event.
Community Reception Date: April 25, 2012 From: 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. 315 H Street Once again it is time to recognize those who work above and beyond the call of duty in the field of child abuse and neglect. Helping families discover the road to recovery from child abuse and neglect can be exhausting and trying. There are times you feel you have hit a road block but then the sun comes up and we have success all because one person did not give up. Those people who can see how hard it is for families to keep trying, a social worker, a family advocate or even a teacher who continues to offer referrals in hopes that just one will make a difference. When you make a difference in a child’s life you make a dif-
Karen Cooley, Executive Director
PAGE 2
HAVEN HEADLINES
Historical Home Tour Our 3rd annual Historical Home tour was a great success this year. Our tour had five beautiful homes all with something different. This event takes a lot of work from a small staff. We love the challenge and learn each year something wonderful about the history of the homes and our community. Thank you to the awesome homeowners who take the time to open their homes to us and our community and walk through a piece of Bakersfield’s history. If you didn’t make it this year we are sorry you missed this wonderful event. This year we tried something new. Our newly hired data entry clerk, Lupita Duenas proved to have more talent than just enter-
ing information into a computer. She was able to contact over 100 business in our community to donate for the cause of child abuse prevention. Thanks to all those who donated we were able to offer a raffle this year. Those who had lunch at the Country Rose Tea room enjoyed raffle prizes at each sitting.
next Historical Home Tour please contact us in August. We would love to learn all about your home. You may even learn something that you didn’t know before. We are also always looking for volunteers for this event. Please contact us in September if you are interested in volunteering. I can guarantee that you will have fun.
Our biggest thanks goes out to all those who came and viewed Historical Home Tour 2011 the homes on the tour. We Contact Person: Priscilla hope you enjoyed yourself and learned a little Acosta something about Bakersfield history. Contact number: (661) 327-4711 ext. 20 If you are interest in having your home in our
“My life tomorrow will be the result of my attitudes and the choices I make today.”
Child Abuse Prevention Month Calendar of Activities Everyone can do small things every day that help children to have healthy, safe lives. The calendar below suggests an activity you can do each day of the month to show a child how much you care. Every activity is not necessarily developmentally appropriate for every child. So, be creative! Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday 4 Involve a child in preparing a special meal.
Thursday
1 Compliment a child’s accomplishment
2 3 Read a book with a Fly a kite together child
22 Help a child write a letter to his or her grandmother, favorite TV star, or the President 29 Do a puzzle together
23 24 25 26 Have a picnic in the Choose something to Plan an outing to a Give your child a yard or the park count (trucks, dogs). free outdoor concert hug Take a walk and or exhibit keep track of how many you see 30 Tell your child that you love him or her.
Friday
Saturday
5 Catch your child doing something good
6 7 Remind your child Leave a love note in that your love is not your child’s lunch bag dependent on schoolwork 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Ask your child’s Go to a playground Coordinate a scav- Tell a child about Take flowers home Bake and decorate a Work on an art proopinion on an or a park together enger hunt around something funny that to your spouse with a cake or make cook- ject together. issue that affects your house happened to you note on why you ies together. the family. when you were a value your marriage. child 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Talk with a child Look for figures in Give a new responsi- Practice crossing the Visit neighbors to- Donate old clothes, Watch a video toabout what to do the clouds. bility street safely. gether, particularly toys, or household gether. in an emergency. --and a new priviif they have children items to charity lege –to your child together 27 28 Plant a flower or Go to a ball game some herbs together together
PAGE 3
C a r s e at s a f e t y — ba k e r s f i e l d p o l i c e d e pa rt m e n t Throughout the California laws are in effect that make it mandatory for infants and children to be restrained in safety seats until they are old enough to wear seat belts. Seat belt laws are in effect in most other states as well. The leading cause of death for children ages 1-5 in the United States is motor vehicle crashes. Infants up to 20 pounds and one year of age should ride in the rear facing position of the vehicle in infant-only or convertible child safety seats. Convertible child safety seats are safety seats that convert from the rear facing position (for infants) to a forward facing position for toddlers. Children weighing 20-40 pounds and over one year of age should ride facing forward in convertible child safety seats or five point harness child safety
seats.
California Law (Effective 01/01/2012): Children under the age of 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat. Children under the age of 8 who are 4' 9" or taller may be secured by a safety belt in the back seat Please refer to the child safety seat manufacture's instructions when installing a child safety seat and check the vehicle owner's manual for proper installation. A locking clip may be required to
secure the vehicle safety belt in place so the child safety seat can be properly anchored. Should you need assistance acquiring a child safety seat, for a child, please contact Operation Car Seat at 661- 8680327. This program is through the Kern County Public Health Department and provides discount child safety seats. Certain criteria must be met to qualify for this program. The Bakersfield Police Department Crime Prevention currently offers free car seat checks on Thursdays between the hours of 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. by appointment only. Call (661) 3263052.
Haven counseling center kinship support services Program Haven Counseling Kinship Support Services Program (KSSP) is looking to expand our services to the community by making our support group available to any caregiver raising relative’s children. We understand the importance of this undertaking because often these caregivers are giving up their retirement years to raise another family. We at KSSP would like to applaud those family members who are stepping up to
the plate to take care of their grandchildren, nieces and nephews and friends of family. As KSSP looks to the future, we are having an open house Friday, June 8 at our office on at 316 H Street from 12-3 PM. There will be fun, food, and prizes and a few of our community partners to talk to any family member who is raising a relative or a friend of a relative’s child/children. We would like to give you a hand. We
look forward to hearing from you soon. We provide counseling for all family members who are a part of our program, case management and respite care every 2nd Monday of the month. Come check us out.
JoAnne Coston, KSSP Coordinator
T h i n k b e f o r e yo u s pa n k It’s hard to raise a kid!
* Did I do something?
When your child acts bad, you get angry. Sometimes it’s tough not to spank. Next time try these things instead:
* Am I still mad?
Stop, Cool off before you do anything.
When you’re not mad, ask yourself: * What’s the mater with my child? * Is she tired, sick, or worried about something? * Can she do what I want?
Watch what you say. Mean words hurt a lot.
Teach your child how to do what’s right.
Don’t show him that hitting is okay.
Help him feel good about himself. Use praise
Be patient. It takes a while for kids to catch on because they’re so little
Learn about children and how they grow. Talk to other moms or dads or join a parent group.
Take some time for yourself! You’ll feel better, and wind up being a better mom or dad to your kid.
(Think Before You Spank)
Haven Counseling Center 730 Chester Ave. Bakersfield, CA 93301
315 H Street Bakersfield CA 93304 &
Phone: (661)327-4711 Fax: (661)327-7895
Phone: (661)327-1951 Fax: (661)327-1952
E-mail: kcapc@havencounselingcenter.org
Kinship Support Services 316 H Street Bakersfield, CA 93304 (661) 377-0377 / Fax (661) 377-0365
t our Check ou website se vencoun Www.ha er.org lingcent
Dedicated to the prevention of child abuse and neglect through advocacy ,education and treatment
T h e im p o rta nc e o f ro ut in e Routines may seem boring to adults, but children thrive on them. Daily routines:
Make them feel safe
Promise them comfort
Make them feel in control
Routines provide a framework for a child’s day. Children like knowing:
tines. These routines include dressing, undressing, napping, using the toilet and cleaning up. Slowly, they will be able to do these things without your assistance. Here are some ideas and guidelines you can use each day so that your child knows what to expect.
Listen to music
Consider set food days, like pizza every Friday.
Get up at a set time, start off with affection
Get your children in the habit of picking up after themselves.
Have them start by picking up one toy or putting away one piece of their clothing
When things will happen, as well as
Personal grooming: brush teeth, wash face, comb hair, get dressed
Breakfast time
Routines develop out of your own family’s daily habits. Encourage your children to become as independent as possible in carrying out certain basic rou-
Talk about your day.
Children like sameness and repetition. Routines provide them with consistency and security. Routines also help them move from one activity to the next.
Clean up routines
What’s coming and what’s happening
The order of events
Say grace if you normally do.
Morning Routine
Getting home routines
Play together
Homework for older children
Watch a favorite T.V. show.
Set the table for dinner
Mealtimes routines
Have all meals at consistent times.
Routines can make your family life run more easily and save you planning time. Once you’ve set up routines, try to stick to them even when you have visitors or are on vacation