April is Child Abuse Prevention Month. As part of the Greater Joliet Area YMCA’s commitment to protecting the children in our community, we’re 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. By taking part in this important campaign, and implementing abuse prevention practices year-round, we are committing to the safety of 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 campaign.
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, by clicking here.
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. Our partners from Saprea have put together a list of 6 grooming behaviors every parent or caregiver needs to know and what to do if you see them.
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.
We take our commitment to child protection seriously and we hope you do too.
We know that learning doesn’t end when the school bell rings. The way your children spend time outside the classroom can make a big difference in their personal development and your family-life balance.
The Morris Hospital YMCA, alongside its partners from Morris Hospital & Healthcare Centers and the City of Morris, were recently recognized by the Grundy Economic Development Council (GEDC) and the Grundy County Chamber of Commerce with the ‘Partners of the Year Award.’ Presented at the GEDC and Chamber’s annual dinner on March 5, the award recognized the collaborative efforts amongst the Y, the Hospital, and the City to bring the first full-facility YMCA to Grundy County. The Morris Hospital YMCA opened its doors to serve the community in December 2024.
