If you’ve driven by Myriad Gardens or the Infant Crisis Services Center or other places around Oklahoma City, you may have noticed the bright blue pinwheels spinning in the sun. You may be wondering what it’s all about.
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and several organizations in Oklahoma City and around Oklahoma have planted pinwheels in front of their places of business. The pinwheel serves as the national symbol for child abuse prevention.
Why the pinwheel? The pinwheel was adopted as the national symbol of child abuse prevention by Prevent Child Abuse America. It a reflection of hope, health and safety. It represents the happy childhood that all children deserve.
Pinwheels for Prevention is a nationwide public awareness campaign that uses community activities and public policies to prioritize prevention right from the start, making sure child abuse and neglect never occur.
The pinwheel – an uplifting symbol of childhood – represents our efforts to ensure the healthy development of children. When children don’t have equal opportunities for growth and development, we put the future of our society at risk. A focus on innovative programming that lays the foundation for children’s safety, growth and development reduces the possibility of more serious problems occurring later.
At Parent Promise, we seek to put children on the path to success by working one-on-one with families to develop good parenting skills. Many Oklahoma families may face challenges in providing nurturing homes for their children for a variety of reasons – low income, under-employment, under-education, isolation or lack of parenting role models when they were young. Each year, we coach 150-170 families with education and support they need to provide a loving and safe home for their children.
We hope you get a smile on your face when you see these pinwheels. And, we hope you remember that all parents want what’s best for their children, but some may need a little help along the way. By supporting programs like Parent Promise, you can help make the difference in the life of a child.
