Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/management-systems-that-support-child-abuse-prevention/5019161/
The field of early childhood education has always had at its heart strengthening the relationships between parents and children. Both the NAEYC Accreditation Standards (NAEYC, 2008) and the Early Head Start Performance Standards have historically placed an emphasis on family professional partnerships (USDHHS, n.d.). It only makes sense then that the early care and education community would rise to the challenge of ensuring their programs work to prevent abuse and neglect as child abuse and neglect is an epidemic in the United States today.Child abuse prevention programs in early care and education programs are complex, and national organizations such as NAEYC and the Center for the Study of Social Policy (CSSP, 2003) have identified components of child abuse prevention based on research on child abuse prevention. The components of NAEYC’s Building Circles, Breaking Cycles initiative include: a) utilizing developmentally appropriate curricula; b) developing reciprocal relationships with families; c) helping families to understand and manage challenging behaviors; d) building on family strengths; and e) informing staff about their professional responsibilities to recognize the signs of and report child abuse and neglect (NAEYC, 2004).
The Center for the Study of Social Policy’s (CSSP, 2003) Strengthening Families Through Early Care and Education emphasizes building protective ...