Pinwheels line the Anson County Courthouse lawn to raise awareness for April’s Child Abuse Prevention Month.
Liz O’Connell
WADESBORO — A blue field of pinwheels in the courthouse field signals the arrival of National Child Abuse Prevention Month as the Anson County Partnership for Children hosts family-fun activities throughout April.
The Children’s Bureau within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funds the month-long initiative and shares the importance of communities coming together to help families and prevent child abuse.
About 1.3 million children received post-response services, such as family preservation, support or foster care, due to the needs discovered during an investigation, according to the Children’s Bureau 2019 Child Maltreatment Report.
In fiscal year 2019, there were about 656,000 victims of child abuse and neglect nationally. North Carolina saw a decrease of 7,857 victims 2015 to 5,601 in 2019.
More than half of Anson’s children live in low-income homes. Seven of the nine schools in the Anson County School District have over 50% of students living in poverty, according to deprivation numbers provided to The Anson Record.
The Anson County Partnership for Children works with the community to support and prepare the young children. For this April’s “Month of the Child,” the Partnership is teaming up with Anson County Schools, South Piedmont Community College, Atrium Health-Anson, among others, to host the celebratory month.
The Partnership will be offering family-fun activities, both socially distanced and online, to celebrate the Month of the Young Child and participate in Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The pinwheels on the courthouse lawn symbolize a safe childhood and bright future for all children.
The Partnership is hosting virtual activities between the second week of April to spotlight the importance of early childhood education. Each day a community member will lead the children in an activity found on the Partnership’s YouTube channel.
Educational workshops will be held on April 20 and April 22 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. There will be a a story time on April 26, a virtual showing of Tommy Wooten’s original play on April 27 and “meet community helpers in Anson” virtual tour on April 28.
All activities throughout the month will be available on the Partnership’s YouTube Channel. If you would like to register for the educational workshops, call 704-694-4036.
