Prevent Child Abuse New York's Blog

Have Mother's Day Your Way

Help wanted: Female to work double to triple shifts. No weekends or holidays off. Long-term commitment: 18 years minimum. Must have unlimited physical and emotional stamina. Low pay to start but high potential for satisfaction.

Welcome to life as a mother!

Mother’s Day celebrates motherhood and honors the contributions of mothers to society. As the many stresses faced by families continue to mount, Mother’s Day is also an opportunity for moms to seek support and validation in their role as caregivers.

Here are some helpful tips for moms to relax, unwind and recharge. Remember Moms, in order to take care of others you must first take care of yourself.

Tips for taking care of you:

• Exercise is a great way to combat stress. Find ways to get moving with the whole family. Go for a brisk walk with your children in their stroller, play a game of catch at the park, or take a family bike ride.


• Talk to a friend about the challenges (and triumphs) you face as a mother. Talking will lift some of the weight off your shoulder. Even better, get together with friends for coffee or lunch. Problems at home may seem less overwhelming if you can take a break from them, even if it is just for a few hours.


• Your to-do list probably reads something like this: Do the laundry; make lunch; clean up from lunch; do more laundry; pick up toys; fold the laundry; make dinner; clean up from dinner; give the kids baths; put the kids to bed; do more laundry. If anything, Mother's Day is a great excuse to take a day off from these chores. Take some time to work on a puzzle, read a book, or work on a special project to recharge your batteries. The laundry and dishes will still be there tomorrow, but now you'll have more energy to tackle them.


• Give yourself the gift of a good night’s sleep. Exhaustion can make the challenges of parenthood seem insurmountable. Eight hours of sleep can do wonders for your outlook on life.


• Proper nutrition will help you feel better overall. Eating carbohydrates helps to soothe, while being properly hydrated allows you to feel less fatigued and have fewer aches and pains. Don’t forget to include fresh fruits and veggies for a well balanced diet.

For more information on how moms can get support in their communities please call the Parent Helpline at 1-800-342-7472.

More Tips for Parents.

Nearly One-third Of US Parents Lacking in Understanding of Child Development

Almost one-third of US parents have a surprisingly low-level knowledge of typical infant development and unrealistic expectations for their child's physical, social and emotional growth, according to new research from the University of Rochester. These findings suggest that such false parenting assumptions can not only impair parent-child interactions, but also rob kids of much-needed cognitive stimulation.

They also underscore the importance of pre-natal and early childhood home visiting, parenting education, and other programs that help parents learn how to nurture, stimulate, discipline, and relate to their children in developmentally appropriate ways.

Read the article.

Laughing Baby

A great video from our friends at the Massachusetts Children's Trust Fund. Aren't baby laughs the best?

Send Flowers, Help Children Blossom

Prevent Child Abuse New York will receive 15% of Mother's Day proceeds from FTD.com!

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 11th.

Find the perfect gift today.

Today's Family Presents Prevent Child Abuse America

A nice overview of how Prevent Child Abuse America and its state chapters work to stop child abuse and neglect before it has a chance to start.

Child Advocacy Center in the News

The Star-Gazette in Elmira, New York, published an editorial in support of the Chemung County Child Advocacy Center. Child Advocacy Centers are community-based facilities that reduce the trauma experienced by children who are victims of sexual abuse and severe physical abuse by providing them with a child-focused environment and with timely treatment and service delivery.

At these centers various members of the child protection, law enforcement, prosecution, victim advocacy, medical and mental health communities provide children and their families comprehensive services within a child-friendly environment designed to meet the child's needs. This greatly reduces the number of interviews a child victim must endure, while also allowing the child to receive needed services in one location.

The Child Advocacy Center model also benefits the government agencies charged with protecting children because it reduces investigative time and creates more efficient case processing.

Read more about Child Advocacy Centers here.

PCANY Supports Legislation to Allow CPS Access to Criminal History Information

Child Protective Services' (CPS) initial task is to assess the safety of and risk to children when an investigation commences in response to a report of suspected child abuse or maltreatment. A reasonable and valid assessment depends on full and reliable information about the adults living with the child or otherwise named as subjects of the report.

Currently CPS investigators do not have access to criminal record information databases that would enable them to immediately determine if a person named in the report has a violent criminal history or previously committed crimes against children.

Prevent Child Abuse New York urges passage of A.4425-A (Mayerson) / S. 2978-A (Robach).

This legislation, authorizing CPS access to relevant criminal history information, will help to better safeguard the well being of our state's children. In addition, this information can help CPS professionals better prepare to respond to allegations of abuse or neglect through more complete understanding of the risk and safety measures needed for them to conduct their investigations.

We note that the legislation stipulates that a case of child abuse or maltreatment shall not be indicated solely on the basis of the existence of a criminal record.

Summary, status, text, sponsor's memo can be found through a Bill No. search at http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi

PCANY Supports Legislation to Extend the Statute of Limitations for Sex Offenses

Sex crimes, particularly those committed against children, are among the most heinous in our society, and leave life-long mental, emotional, and physical scars on their victims.

Most victims of child sexual abuse are victimized by someone known to them, often a family member, over a long period of time. By virtue of the trauma involved, most victims do not disclose at the time of abuse. Instead, the abuse comes to light years later after the victim feels safe enough or emotionally able to disclose the abuse.

Currently in New York State, survivors of childhood sexual abuse have only three years after age 18 to bring a civil claim against their abusers. This period is too short. Many survivors are unable or unwilling to bring claims until they are emotionally and financially free from the perpetrator. Often, this does not occur until long after age 21.

Therefore, Prevent Child Abuse New York urges passage of A. 4560-B (Markey, Lentol, et al.) / S. 4614-A (Saland).

This proposal would extend the authority to prosecute and to bring a civil lawsuit for damages in child sexual abuse cases and provide a remedy for those whose lives have been unalterably changed by the horror of childhood sexual abuse.

By extending the time to seek justice to a five-year window that does not begin until the victim turns 23, victims of these horrific crimes will be able to seek the justice they have been denied.

Summary, status, text, sponsor's memo can be found through a Bill No. search at http://public.leginfo.state.ny.us/menugetf.cgi

Child Welfare League of America Radio Blog, "Speaking for America's Children"

On the Line with CWLA is a thought-provoking, interactive, live Internet radio program focusing on subjects, stories, and strategies of special interest to child welfare policymakers, providers, and practitioners. The program, devoted solely to discussions about the welfare of America's vulnerable children, features a forum where numerous points of view and voices of experience within the child welfare universe can be heard.

The live program, hosted by broadcasting veteran Tony Regusters, is a production of CWLA that will provide a platform for CWLA member organizations, their staffs, its partners, and concerned citizens in the national community to share ideas and thoughts about critical issues that affect child welfare agencies, vulnerable children and teens, and their families.

The weekly subject-oriented, solutions-driven program will broadcast Wednesdays, 2:00-2:30 pm ET and feature indepth, timely discussions with leading child welfare experts, agents, and advocates; leadership and representatives from CWLA's member agencies; and local and national political figures working to improve child welfare and give a voice to child welfare professionals, providers, and practitioners nationwide.

The call-in number is 347-326-9411

Click here to listen online.

Conference: The Challenges of Working with Families in an Urban Environment

Presented by New York Zero-to-Three Network, this is a one-day conference where professionals will learn about:

• The nature of urban life for families in New York City
• The effect of the environmental context on the development of children
• The diversity of families in the urban environment and how to engage them
• The challenges urban families face and what professionals need to know to help them

With featured speakers:

• Lawrence Aber, Ph.D.
• Martha Edwards, Ph.D.
• Rebecca Shahmoon Shanok, LCSW, Ph.D.

When and where:
Friday, May 16, 2008
8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
William and Anita Newman Vertical Campus Conference Center at Baruch College
55 Lexington Avenue (at 24th Street)

Click here to learn more.