ALPENA — April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Alpena and Presque Isle Child Abuse and Neglect (CA/N) Prevention Team, along with the Exchange Club of Alpena, are spreading the message that everyone can help ensure children have great childhoods in Northeast Michigan.

The CA/N Team and the Exchange Club will display blue pinwheels and yellow flags around Alpena and Presque Isle County. According to the CA/N Team, these visuals illustrate how the community plays a part in helping to prevent child abuse.

“The pinwheel is a fun and whimsical representation of childhood, which reminds adults that it is our job to ensure each child has a fun and safe up bringing,” a CA/N Team press release on Tuesday said. “The Exchange Club of Alpena will have flags displayed throughout Alpena to remind the community of everyone’s role in child abuse and neglect prevention.”

The release stated that it is the responsibility of adults to ensure that every child has an equal opportunity to grow and reach their full potential. Research indicates that families that have certain “protective factors” will be less likely to abuse or neglect children. These factors are parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development, concrete support in times of need, and social and emotional competence of children.

“We believe everyone plays a role in the healthy development of children. April is a time we like to remind our community of the important role that each of us plays in child abuse and neglect prevention. When you see a pinwheel or flag this month, think of what you can do to help in your neighborhood and community,” Tiffany Eddinger, Alpena CA/N Team President, said in the release.

“The prevention of child abuse has been the Exchange Club’s Nation project since 1979,” Ray Reynolds, chair of the flag program, also said in the release. “It is Exchange Club’s mission to increase awareness of child abuse, but also do all we can do to prevent it through supporting family activities.”

The CA/N Team and the Exchange Club of Alpena are encouraging the public to learn more about how to support the protective factors for their own family and others. Anyone can go to website such as friendsnrc.org/prevention/protective-factors or others to learn about child abuse and neglect protective factors.

Some ideas that the C/AN Team suggests to prevent child abuse are:

– Volunteering at an after-school program like the Boys and Girls Club or other programs, or offering to help a parent.

– Attend family fun night sponsored by local organizations.

– Learning about abuse prevention curricula that are currently in place at local schools or churches and advocating to create one if there is not yet a program in place.

– Donating money to organizations that help families who are in need such as Alpena Baby Pantry, Children’s Closet, or the soup kitchen.

– Become a mentor for other parents.