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Kids Intervention and Diagnostic Service Center (KIDS Center) and MountainStar Family Relief Nursery (MountainStar) kicked off the Blue Ribbon Campaign on April 1. The Blue Ribbon Campaign coincides with April’s National Child Abuse Prevention Month.
The Blue Ribbon Campaign began in 1989 as an awareness movement when one woman tied a blue ribbon on her car antenna to symbolize her grandson’s bruises after he died at the hands of his mother’s abusive partner. The Blue Ribbon Campaign has grown to include educating individuals and groups on how to better protect children, as well as their community, from child abuse. As part of our 2019 Blue Ribbon Campaign, we ask all community members to Speak Up and Save a Child, taking an active role in keeping kids safe across Central Oregon.
This year, KIDS Center and MountainStar are proud to award four community organizations as 2019 Prevention Partners of the Year. Each organization has dedicated valuable resources and time to learn how to better protect children and prevent child abuse in Central Oregon. Please join us in honoring the following organizations: Advantage Dental in Madras, Facebook in Prineville, Healthy Beginnings and PacificSource in Bend. Congratulations for your outstanding work in preventing child abuse!
Almost 50,000 blue ribbons along with educational materials and posters will be distributed throughout the community in April. People are encouraged to wear a blue ribbon to show support for the awareness and prevention of child abuse.
Several special events are scheduled for the month of April and are outlined below. For more information about the Blue Ribbon Campaign, child abuse prevention and other events in April, visit kidscenter.org or mtstar.org/april.
April Community Events 2019
Prineville Perk
April 5, 8-8:30am at MountainStar Prineville 430 NW Fourth Street
Join the MountainStar Prineville team for coffee and light refreshments. Tour the therapeutic classroom and hear about MountainStar’s efforts to strengthen families and keep kids safe in Crook County. Join MountainStar and find out how to get involved.
Madras Coffee Cuppers
April 12, 8-9am at MountainStar Madras 122 NE Tenth Street
Meet the MountainStar Madras team and explore the therapeutic classroom while hearing about MountainStar’s child abuse prevention work in Jefferson County. Find out how you can support vulnerable kiddos in your community. Coffee and light refreshments provided.
Week of the Young Child
April 12, 2:30-4:30pm at Deschutes Children’s Foundation, East Campus 2125 NE Daggett Lane
Come celebrate Week of the Young Child with an afternoon of FUN. Meet local programs working with children and families in our community. Crafts, activities, and a beautiful playground will be available for children and families to enjoy together.
Free Movie Event
April 13, 10am The Pine Theater Prineville
Movie: Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse
Children and their caregivers are invited to this free movie event hosted by For the Children: Crook County’s child abuse prevention team. Attendees will receive information on local child abuse prevention resources and tools. Please call 541-788-5556 for more information.
Early Learning Conference
April 26-27, Friday: 12-5pm & Saturday: 8am-3pm at Central Oregon Community College, 2600 NW College Way
This year’s theme, Growing Resilient Communities, celebrates the simple and profound ways in which our profession promotes and strengthens the connections between children, families, schools, and communities. We recognize the powerful impact of nurturing relationships as we respond to adversity in our lives. Dr. Donna Beegle, the keynote speaker, will share her unique insights from having grown up in generational poverty in America and of studying poverty for more than 20 years, help you enhance your knowledge of poverty and develop the understanding to impact the individuals with whom you work. To register, go to earlylearning.co.
SafetyNet: Smart Cyber Choices® Internet Safety Training
KIDS Center is now offering SafetyNet: Smart Cyber Choices, an internet safety training developed by the San Diego Police Foundation and the San Diego Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. This training instructs on how technology can be used in a safe, positive and ethical manner while providing the tools needed to safely manage online lives for both adults and children. This training is available as an adult presentation and can be presented to elementary, middle and high school students through assemblies, classroom specific presentations or private group trainings.
Bend — April 17, 5:30-7pm at KIDS Center (Adult: English)
Madras — April 22, 5:30-7pm at Jefferson County Health Department (Adult: English)
Prineville — April 29, 5:30-7pm at Crook County Library (Adult: English)
Let’s Talk About It
This training is designed to provide parents and caregivers information about the difference between healthy, developmentally appropriate body exploration, and inappropriate and unsafe behavior that can cause harm to self and others. Ideal for adults or caregivers with children ages 0-12 years old. Participants learn how to start the conversation about sexual abuse, body safety and how to appropriately respond to behaviors in children.
Bend — April 16, 5-7pm at KIDS Center (English)
Madras — April 3, 5-7pm at Jefferson County Health Department (English)
Prineville — April 30, 5-7pm at Crook County Library (English)
Darkness to Light’s Stewards of Children
Adults receive tools for recognizing the signs of sexual abuse and responding to suspicions. They also learn simple ways to minimize opportunities for abuse in organizations and in our community. More than 11,500 adults have been trained in Central Oregon over the last 12 years. Sign up at kidscenter.org
Bend — April 4, 5-8pm at KIDS Center (Spanish)
Bend — April 8, 5-8pm at KIDS Center (English)
Bend — April 23, 5-8pm, at KIDS Center (Spanish)
Bend — April 25, 4-7pm, at KIDS Center (English)
Prineville — April 12, 5-8pm, at Crook County Library (English)
Prineville — April 18, 5-8pm, at Crook County Library (Spanish)
Madras — April 15, 5-8pm, at Jefferson County Health Department (Spanish)
Madras — April 18, 5-8pm, at Jefferson County Health Department (English)
MountainStar Tours
Take a tour to learn what it takes to prevent child abuse and neglect in Central Oregon. See how MountainStar decreases the risk of abuse in families by 70% in just six months after joining its program. Learn about what ACE’s are and why MountainStar focuses on babies and toddlers. To learn more or donate, visit mtstar.org. Contact Tiffanywhite@mtstar.org to sign up for a tour. (RSVP is required).
Bend — April 10, 8-9am
Bend — April 12, 4-5pm
Bend — April 24, 8-9am
Bend — April 26, 4-5pm
Madras — April 10, 11am-12pm
Madras — April 24, 11am-12pm
Prineville — April 10, 4-5pm
Prineville — April 24, 4-5pm
KIDS Center Tours
Spend one hour learning about KIDS Center during our in-depth facility tour. You will have a chance to see what a visit to KIDS Center is like through a child’s eyes and meet some of our wonderful staff who evaluate and interview the children that visit. See some of the therapy practices we use first-hand and understand how we help over 600 children annually. Sign up at kidscenter.org or contact Joni at KIDS Center 541-306-6063 for more information.
Bend — April 11, 12-1pm
Bend — April 24, 5-6pm
