Prevention Education for Children.
In 2018 we began partnering with schools in Southwest Michigan to implement a school-based curriculum to educate children about body safety and their right to feel safe.
Using the Play it Safe! (www.playitsafe.org) pre-k – 12th-grade curriculum, we educate children, one classroom at a time, using age-appropriate, grade-specific lessons. In our first school year, we provided lessons to almost 5,000 students in Berrien County, with future goals to expand these lessons to all schools in the county.
To find out more about these lessons or to advocate for their implementation in your child’s school, please contact the CAC.
Contact the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Michigan
- By phone: 269-556-9640
- By e-mail: info@swmichigncac.org
5 Steps to Protecting Our Children
Step 1
Learn the facts.
Understand the risks. Realities should influence your decisions regarding children. Over 90% of sexually abused children are abused by someone known by the child or family.
Step 2
Minimize opportunity.
If you eliminate or reduce the potential for children to be in isolated, one-on-one situations with adults or other youth, you dramatically reduce risk.
Step 3
Talk about it.
Children often keep abuse a secret, but barriers can be broken down by talking openly about topics like body safety, sex, and boundaries. One of the best defenses against child sexual abuse is our relationship with children.
Step 4
Recognize the Signs.
Don’t expect obvious signs when a child is being sexually abused. Signs are often there, but you have to know what to look for. Emotional or behavioral signals are more common and may range from too perfect behavior, to anger and rebellion.
Step 5
React Responsibly.
Disclosure, discovery, and suspicions of sexual abuse provide opportunities to intervene on behalf of a child.
You can help.
You can donate to the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Michigan in support of the Children’s Advocacy Center or the development of our facility. You can bring items to us from our wish list. You can advocate or volunteer for the CACs programs. You can encourage your school or other organizations involved with children to adopt strong policies and training programs that will heighten awareness among responsible adults.
And you can immediately report any suspected incidence of child sexual abuse or neglect based on your observations that something is wrong.
Thank you to our sponsors.
The Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Michigan would like to recognize the gracious contributions of the following organizations and foundations that have helped fund our program:
