An op-ed from Rep. Ryan Williams, First Lady Crissy Haslam, and Kristen Rector.
Parenthood is one of the most rewarding jobs an adult will ever have; it is also one of the most difficult. Sleepless nights, stress-filled days or an unforeseen crisis can overwhelm any parent. Sadly, an overwhelmed parent can result in a neglected or abused child.
According to the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Tennessee, a child is abused or neglected every 47 seconds in the United States. From 2015-2016, almost 139,000 calls were handled by Tennessee’s Child Abuse Hotline. Additionally, more than 17,000 reports of abuse or neglect were made through the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services website referral system.
Recently, members of the Tennessee General Assembly joined efforts to raise awareness of child abuse and neglect in our state by passing a joint resolution that designates April 2017 as Child Abuse Prevention Month. The goal of the resolution is to encourage communities to create partnerships with parents, families, child care programs, social service agencies, schools, religious organizations, law enforcement and the business community to support parents’ efforts to raise their children in safe, nurturing environments.
When adults in any community work together to ensure that all children grow up in safe, nurturing environments, we build strong foundations that give them the confidence needed to work toward successful futures that will also benefit our entire state.
The state of Tennessee is also taking measures to address chronic childhood toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) — including physical, emotional or sexual abuse — in Tennessee children through a unique initiative called Building Strong Brains. Tennessee’s ACEs Initiative promotes culture change in early childhood based on philosophies geared toward preventing and reducing the impact of ACEs, which have been shown to negatively impact a child’s brain-building process.
Research indicates that children who have had four or more ACEs are at a higher risk for poor outcomes later in life, including a risk of chronic illnesses, poverty, depression and addictive behaviors. Reducing and eliminating a child’s exposure to chronic childhood trauma and ACEs promotes healthy, productive lifestyles for future generations of Tennesseans.
Organizations like Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee (PCAT) are tremendous partners in our campaign to end child abuse and neglect. For over 30 years, PCAT has supported parents and the communities where they live in efforts to build loving homes where children feel treasured, adored and valued. When parents are educated about how to build positive and caring relationships with their children, it gives them the confidence they need to succeed. PCAT’s resources also include a helpline that provides information and advice to help parents and caregivers navigate their way through just about any type of situation imaginable.
Moving forward, let’s admire the joy and innocence of all children and remember that they look to their parents and caregivers for guidance and support. Let us strive for communities where children grow up in safe and supportive environments. We all need to be aware of our important role in preventing Tennessee children from becoming victims of abuse and neglect.
Throughout April PCAT’s pinwheel gardens will dot the landscape of our communities to serve as a reminder about the important role that all Tennesseans play in creating great childhoods for our most precious gifts. When you see a pinwheel garden this month, we hope you’ll remember that every child deserves a great childhood.
To report child abuse or neglect, contact the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services at 877-237-0004 or tn.gov/reportchildabuse. For parenting questions and support, call PCAT’s parenting helpline at 1-800-CHILDREN.
Rep. Ryan Williams of Cookeville is Republican Caucus chairman, Crissy Haslam is First Lady of Tennessee and Kristen Rector is president and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee.