April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and Healthy Kids has planted pinwheel gardens all over Lincoln County to remind people how important children.
“Children are our greatest resource for the future of the Lincoln County communities, and all community members can help make a difference,” said Healthy Kids Executive Director Leslie Livingston.
In 2020, there were 92 substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect in Lincoln County as reported by the Maine Office of Child and Family Services.
“Parenting is a difficult job and all adults providing care for our kids need support,” Livingston said.
Healthy Kids programs offer support through personalized meetings tailored to a family’s situation, as well as classes, playgroups, concrete supports such as cribs or toys at Christmas, and workshops for professionals and high school kids.
Additionally, Healthy Kids provides free community dinner and game nights at schools and information and activities live weekly on Facebook. The organization sends out biweekly parenting tips to more than 700 families. A new community program called the Front Porch Project allows community members to explore the ways they can be helpful in supporting families.
For more information about programs or to get personalized parenting support, call Healthy Kids at 563-1818, go to healthykidsmaine.org or email hk@tidewater.net.
