5 Days of Action

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington is proudly participating in Five Days of Action®—a week-long campaign to increase awareness of child sexual abuse and empower and equip us all to prevent it.

As part of our ongoing commitment to child safety, we are continuing to take part in this important campaign and reinforce abuse prevention practices year-round to protect all children in our community.

The Know, See, Respond campaign is back this year, and Praesidium, Saprea, and Lauren’s Kids have shared resources to support this initiative.

Know

When evaluating camps, sports and other activities for your child, do you KNOW what questions to ask about abuse prevention? As parents, caregivers and trusted adults, we play a vital role in protecting children and teens from abuse. Learn the key questions to ask from Praesidium, the YMCA’s partner in child abuse prevention.

See

When we SEE grooming patterns—methodical, subtle, gradual and escalating behaviors used to groom a child for sexual abuse—we can identify them, strengthen our intuition and protect children. Learn the six grooming behaviors every parent or caregiver needs to know and what to do if you see them, from our partner Saprea.

Respond

RESPONDing starts when a child or teen feels heard and is helped. How can you take action to prevent child sexual abuse? The Trusted Triangle (for younger children) and the Safety NETwork (for older youth) are strategies from Lauren’s Kids Safer, Smarter Families Family Safety Toolkit. These resources are designed to help families and caregivers teach personal and digital safety in a comfortable and accessible way.

• CLICK HERE for Grades K-2
• CLICK HERE for Grades 3-5:

HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED:

From April 21-25, you can take action by visiting a YMCA of Metropolitan Washington location to sign a Five Days of Action Pledge Card—a simple but powerful way to show your support in raising awareness and preventing child sexual abuse in our community.