​Everyone can play a role in preventing child abuse. That’s the message of this year’s Child Abuse Prevention Month campaign in April: Be a Hero in the Eyes of a Child.  
 
Through its Facebook page, @ChampaignCountyDJFS, the Champaign County Department of Job and Family Services (CCDJFS) is offering ways for local residents to participate in the campaign and help prevent child abuse and neglect in their day-to-day lives.
 
“It takes one simple act of kindness at a time,” says Sara Wright, CCDJFS social services administrator. “I see a mom I know at the store, and I tell her she’s doing a great job. Or maybe I know a family that could be struggling, maybe they have an illness. I could make a meal for them.
 
“These types of things are heroic acts. That’s what this campaign is about, those little acts of kindness that really help make kids safe, because it helps support families.”
 
Stacy Cox, director of CCDJFS, adds, “It takes a community to protect a child, or to raise a child. It’s really those simple acts that play into that community connectedness.”
 
Ways to Participate in Child Abuse Prevention Month

• Look for suggestions on how to support children and families throughout the year—on the CCDJFS Facebook page and the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund website, octf.ohio.gov
• Nominate someone who is an Everyday Hero for doing their part to help prevent child abuse – and describe what they do. Email nominations to sara.wright@jfs.ohio.gov. These Everyday Heroes will be spotlighted throughout April on the CCDJFS Facebook page. Wright says, “We just want people to know they are appreciated for the simple acts that they do, because they matter.”
• Wear blue clothing on April 14, in support of the OhioWearsBlue campaign, at work, school, and out in the community, to draw attention to child abuse prevention.  And take a selfie or a group photo of you, friends and family wearing blue, and post it on the CCDJFS Facebook page with the tag #OhioWearsBlue.
• Attend the virtual Community Services to Support Families forum at 5 p.m. April 29. The forum is being coordinated by Zach Walden, quality assurance supervisor/Adult Protective Services of CCDJFS, with the Champaign County Board of Developmental Disabilities and Champaign County Family and Children First Council. They will present information and answer questions about local services for supporting families and children. The meeting link will be posted on the CCDJFS Facebook page.

 
The Champaign County Board of Commissioners has proclaimed April “A Celebration of Family and Children Month, in tribute to concerned citizens, professionals and foster parents who work together in the cause of protecting our county’s children.”
 
In addition, CCDJFS is promoting Child Abuse Prevention Month with coloring sheets distributed to schools and libraries, as well as pizza box toppers and drink coasters at local restaurants with dine-in service.
 
2020 Child Abuse Statistics
In 2020, CCDJFS Child Protective Services completed 228 investigations/assessments of reports of child abuse or neglect. Thirty-five of the reports were substantiated or indicated as cases of abuse or neglect. The department served an average of 37 families, on an ongoing basis, per month, and 33 youth were in agency custody.
 
But the pandemic had an impact on reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect, Wright said. “From March going into April 2020 we saw an over 60 percent decline in calls coming in. What that tells us, people weren’t seeing each other, and people weren’t seeing kids. Connectivity and connections matter” in helping to identify and prevent abuse.
 
Wright adds, “The more supported we can make people feel, the less we see the impact of hardships, like poverty and substance abuse, and the better that kids are going to be protected.”
 
The key message of the Be a Hero in the Eyes of a Child campaign, she said, is that “it’s the simple acts of kindness that make a huge difference. We know the numbers of abuse and neglect, because that’s what we track. But the numbers we don’t have is how much abuse and neglect was prevented by those simple acts that adults in the community are doing each and every day.” 

In fact, the number of kids participating at the UYC has caused a high demand for two things: more usable square footage and more volunteer help.

UYC Executive Director Justin T. Weller describes “soaring attendance” and hopes success will attract more participation.

Weller said the UYC currently has about 400 student members.
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“On the nights we are open, we regularly have more than 100 students attend UYC,” Weller said. The UYC is open on Tuesday and Thursday evenings after school and serves junior high school and high school students attending Urbana City Schools or those who live in the district.

Students like Dawson, who have an interest in entering the workforce after graduation, can apply to become a full-time employee with Weidmann. They also work with students to allow them to work part-time while attending college, which is what Gavin hopes to do.  After graduation he will be attending Ashland University majoring in Business Administration and Manufacturing Management. Jessica encourages local students to know they have options after graduation. “Whether a student enters a career path or completes a college education, we want them to know we have opportunities that range from entry-level, to technical careers.”

Jessica noted that as a local manufacturer willing to hire high school students starting at age 16, they seek candidates with hobbies or interests that align with those of a manufacturer, hands-on learners, those that enjoy working on cars, are mechanically inclined or have a career goal to work in a technical field. Weidmann currently has 2 part-time positions available for local, high school students. These students can receive part-time benefits which include hiring bonuses, Paid Time Off, paid holidays and clothing reimbursement programs. 

She wants local students to know there are part-time opportunities available in their areas of interest. “Not every student wants to work in retail or restaurants, and we want to give those students options in fields they enjoy.” These opportunities can turn into career paths for many. CEP Director, Marcia Bailey, is grateful for employers like Weidmann. “The partnership between our local manufacturers and area high schools has allowed our workforce to grow. We want to ensure Champaign County students consider staying in our communities after graduation to begin their careers.”​

Weidmann is a 140-year-old, family-owned business that manufactures board and paper insulation to transformer manufacturers around the world. They opened their Urbana, Ohio facility in 2010 and have 135 employees spanning over a 3 shift operation.  The company has been a great asset to the community and is actively engaged in the county.  They are currently looking to fill a variety of positions and encourage students to seek opportunities by visiting their job page: https://www.dayforcehcm.com/CandidatePortal/en-US/wicor or by contacting Business Liaison, Ashley Cook at acook@ohiohipoint.com.

Triad Middle School is beginning a new project, Let Grow, to offer students the opportunity to grow as individuals. The purpose of the project is to foster independence for the students in grades 5 through 8. Essentially, students complete a project outside of school that enables them to take one step closer to independence. "Simply by being independent they are analyzing situations, evaluating consequences, and overcoming obstacles. Independence leads to new problem-solving, resilience—and joy."

In order to keep student interest, they would like to offer a drawing for a prize bi-weekly or monthly for each grade. Support from local businesses in the form of a small gift card would be an amazing opportunity to promote how this community supports schools. If you are would like to contribute to this project please contact Middle School Guidance Counselor Sarah Haggard at haggards@triadk12.org.