Child Abuse Prevention Month: How Early Childhood Educators Can Help Prevent Child Abuse

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month—and throughout the month, we’re sharing insights on different ways to help prevent child abuse and neglect. Today, we’re highlighting the role of early childhood educators when preventing child abuse and neglect. 

As an educator, you’re not only responsible for nurturing a child’s academic growth—but you also play a crucial role in ensuring their safety and emotional well-being. By understanding the signs of abuse and fostering healthy relationships, early childhood educators can become powerful advocates in the prevention of child abuse. 

Recognizing the Signs of Abuse 

While child abuse and neglect can take many forms, a broad definition is any non-accidental or substantial risk of injury to a child, either inflicted or allowed by a parent, guardian, or caregiver. Child abuse and neglect include: 

• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse 
• Emotional abuse 
• Neglect 

Common signs of abuse 

• Unexplained bruises in various stages of healing
• Unexplained burns 
• Unexplained fractures, injuries, or abrasions 
• Self-destructive behaviors 
• Welts, bite marks, or bald spots 
• Nervousness, anxiety, hyperactivity, or aggression 
• Fear of parent or caregiver 
• Lack of expressed emotion 
• Shy, withdrawn, or passive 
• Exhibiting sexual behaviors inappropriate for their age 
• A detailed understanding of sexual behavior 
• Reversion to behaviors such as bed-wetting, speech loss, or thumb-sucking 
• Sleep disturbance or nightmares 
• Pain, itching, bruising, or bleeding in the genital region
• Comes to school early, stays late, and doesn’t want to go home 
• Is overly compliant, an overachiever, or too responsible 
• Shrinks at the approach of adults 
• Reports injury by a parent or adult caregiver  

Common signs of abuse from a parent or adult caregiver: 

• Shows little concern for the child, rarely responding to the school’s requests for information, conferences, or home visits 
• Denies the existence of or blames the child for problems at school or at home 
• Asks the educator to use harsh physical discipline 
• Sees the child as bad, worthless, or burdensome 
• Demands perfection or a level of performance the child cannot achieve  
• Offers conflicting, unconvincing, or no explanation of the child’s injury 
• Describes the child as “evil” or in other negative ways 
• Abuses alcohol or prescription or illegal drugs 
• Uses harsh physical discipline with the child 
• Has a history of abuse

How Early Educators Can Help Prevent Child Abuse and Neglect 

Know the families and the children that you serve. Enlarge your frame: get beyond a child and their challenging behavior to look at the context of their life and what is going on in their world. Support parents and caregivers and connect them with community supports. Help parents understand the behaviors and the strengths of their family and their child.

There are five protective factors that can help reduce and eliminate the possibility of child abuse and neglect. As an early childhood educator, knowing these protective factors can help strengthen both the children and the families in your care. 

• Parent Resilience: Parents who can manage stress and bounce back from challenges help reduce the likelihood of child maltreatment. Offer parents and families different resources to help build resilience and encourage them to support themselves through small acts of self-care. 
• Parenting Knowledge: When parents and caregivers know what to expect as their children grow and thrive, it helps to prevent instances of abuse or neglect. Share available resources with parents and caregivers, such as North Carolina’s Triple P: Positive Parenting Program.  

• Social Connections: When parents and caregivers have healthy social relationships and a sense of community, it serves as a protective factor against maltreatment. Encourage families to get to know other parents and build relationships. 

• Concrete Supports: Share details with parents and caregivers about available support systems and programs in Onslow County. In the case that families encounter a crisis, having concrete support is a protective factor. 

• Social and Emotional Competence: Social-emotional competence is critical for a child’s long-term growth and development. When children have strong relationships with adults, can regulate their own emotions and feelings, and relate to others, it serves as a protective factor against abuse. 

Building relationships with the children in your care can go a long way in supporting their development as well. As a safe, stable adult in a child’s life, you can make a long-term impact. Consider the following tips:

• Spend time with each child. As much as possible, take the time to give each child one-on-one attention. Give each child lots of positive attention and encouragement. 
• Learn about the important people in each child’s life. Who do they spend time with? Learn about their older or younger siblings or other family members in their lives.  
• Provide encouragement and support. Describe what you see each child doing and help them bounce back from challenges. 

What to Do If You Suspect Maltreatment 

Whether you are an early childhood educator, you must act if you suspect child maltreatment or abuse. 

If a child discloses maltreatment 

If a child tells you they have been abused or maltreated, stay calm and tell them you believe them. Listen closely to their explanations and reassure them that you will do something to keep them safe and out of harm’s way. 

If you suspect abuse or neglect 

If you have a suspicion about child abuse or neglect, you must report what you know to the county’s Department of Social Services (DSS). Do not be afraid to report—as long as you are acting in good faith with reason to believe possible abuse or neglect, you cannot be held liable. 

Reporting child abuse or neglect 

There are a number of common signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect. If you see a child exhibiting a cluster or two or more signs, this is a red flag. At the very least, speak with the child or parent or call your local Child Protective Services (CPS) agency. 

If you suspect child abuse or neglect, call the Onslow County Department of Social Services (DSS) at (910) 455-4145.  

In an ideal situation, you will have the following details to give to the counselor, however, this information is not required: 

• The name, age, and address of the child 
• The name and address of the child’s parent or caregiver 
• The child’s condition, including the nature and extent of the injury or abuse 
• Any information on the presence of weapons, drugs or alcohol, or other factors that could affect a social worker’s safety 
• Where the child is located at the time the referral is made 

Note: You are not required to provide your contact information when making a report, but if you do, you will receive a notification if CPS will or will not investigate the case. 

What happens next? 

After the referral is made and you’ve discussed your concerns with a CPS social worker, a determination will be made as to whether or not DSS will complete an assessment 

Depending on the situation, help will be provided to the family through: 

• Counseling 
• Referrals to other agencies 
• Intensive in-home services provided by trained volunteers or professionals 
• Help with housing, finances, medical needs, and child care 
• Development of a Child and Family Team to build a support network for the family 
• Emergency foster child services 

Resources for Educators 

One Place offers a number of training programs for early childhood educators. Advance your knowledge of early childhood development and access critical resources to build your skills. 

Learn more and sign up for a program here.