April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the Crittenton Centers in Peoria is planting pinwheels to raise awareness.
Crittenton CEO and president Jeff Gress said the symbol of the pinwheel was chosen in 2008.
“It’s the simplicity of it,” he said. “But yet, at the same time, making sure that it is reflective of children having a great childhood.”
The social service agency has a pinwheel garden displayed on the lawn of its building, planted there by community members, Crittenton employees and children on Thursday. Peoria Mayor Rita Ali planted her own pinwheel.
“When I think about what or who I would risk my life for, it’s not just my children, it’s children, period,” Ali said. “And I think that we all would, because even though we may not all carry the title of mandated reporter, I think we should all be mandated reporters.”
Gress said pinwheels will be added to the garden throughout the month as more children are admitted to the Crittenton Centers’ Crisis Nursery, a 24-hour opportunity for families to get emergency childcare.
“It could be someone living in shelters, needing care while they’re looking for housing,” he said. “We had a situation recently of a dad, who’s kind of transient, who ended up here in the hospital and had a 22-month-old daughter that we needed to provide care for for several days. So, it always looks different, just whatever the family might need.”
Gress said the nursery saw more than 4,000 admissions in 2022 — up significantly from a low point during the pandemic.
There are other programs at Crittenton, including a family advocacy program that helps educate and reunite families with children who have been in contact with the Department of Child and Family Services. Gress said the center helped 13 children’s families pass inspections and return home in the last two weeks.
There’s also an upcoming doula program the Crittenton Centers are still hiring for. The doula will act as a coach for mothers in the last few months of pregnancy, Gress said, setting them up for success when their baby arrives.
“It’s an evidence-based, proven approach to helping families,” he said.
The doula program also is part of a major goal for programs at Crittenton Centers: preventing child abuse and neglect before it happens.
“It’s making sure that parents are equipped because kids don’t come with a manual to understand how to take care of them sometimes,” Gress said. “So, you know, helping equip parents, helping parents and families to feel like they’re in a place where they can ask for help, because asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of strength.”
You can learn more about theCrittenton Centers and their offered programs here.
