Welcome to our December Newsletter!

December 2024 Edition

Welcome back to our monthly newsletter!? Thank you for a great year; we could not do this work without you.?

Happy December to each of you!? As we approach the final days of 2024, I find myself reflecting upon all the great things that have happened here at PCAK this year.? Listed further down in this newsletter are our Top 10 Mission Moments of 2024, but I would like to highlight some important milestones here.??

This year, we had three advocacy wins in Frankfort. We successfully advocated for HB 207, HB 453, and secured funding for our new Upstream Academy.

Our annual awareness campaign, Pinwheels for Prevention at the state Capitol in Frankfort, brought a crowd of over 150 people. We planted 4,000 pinwheels, each representing 12 children born in the last year; and increased awareness with this campaign.??

We created 20 new pieces of educational content and distributed 91,374 materials to families across our state.

We have also been busier than ever training stakeholders across the Commonwealth. We hosted more than 650 individuals at our 28th annual Kids Are Worth It! Conference.

Thank you for all you do to support Kentucky families, whether that be in your professional capacity, or through engaging with our work throughout the year.? We look forward to continuing our efforts in 2025, and are excited to have you alongside us!?

November Activities and Adventures

Before traveling far and wide to eat Thanksgiving dinner, PCAK staff were working hard, training folks across the state and supporting families by attending local community events.? Check out our reach from November below!

• 11.1- Jill met with the Thriving Families Safer Children group to further the work done by this collaborative?
• 11.7- Janna attended a DCBS training event, reaching 127 social workers across Kentucky?
• 11.12- Amanda, Jill, and Janna presented at the Annual Prevent Child Abuse America conference in Phoenix, AZ?
• 11.13- Valerie attended the Community Collaboration for Children (CCC)?Meeting in Fayette County and supported our Partners
• 11.14- Valerie attended the Bluegrass Rural Regional CCC networking meeting and the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Convergence Center Childcare collaborative?
• 11.19- Chris attended the Clay County Middle School Health Fair and shared information with 313 students?
• 11.20- Melanie attended a KY Employees Charitable Campaign?meeting to collaborate with other Charity Partners?
• 11.21- Janna attended the PaRK leadership meeting and the Face It! Policy Team Meeting?
• 11.21- Amanda and Jill presented about our Parent Education Providers to Department for Community Based Services?staff members?
• 11.22- Janna attended a Thriving Families Safer Children meeting and shared information about PCAK's Upstream Academy, Lean On Me Kentucky initiative, and the Parent Engagement Summit?

Highlighting the work we completed in 2024!

Each year, PCAK launches our Top 10 Mission Moments as a way to look back at all we have accomplished throughout the year.? This reflection has become engrained in our office culture, so much so that we start every other staff meeting sharing our moments and supporting other staff members in our combined efforts!? Below, we have included our Top 10 of 2024, and hope you like reading through the ways we have addressed our mission this year.?

1. We held Kentucky's Inaugural Parent Engagement Summit in Lexington on 9.11.24.? This event allowed us to engage with parents, service providers, and DCBS employees in a new way!
2. We advocated for three legislative wins during the 2024 Kentucky General Assembly!? If you are interested in public policy happenings in Frankfort or DC, email Amanda to be added to our weekly Legislative Newsletter.?
3. We increased our Partner in Prevention Network to over 330 Partners across the state!? Each Partner is important to moving our mission forward, and if you would like to be a part of this work, email Amanda!
4. Given how important Partners are to our work, we updated our mission to reflect the pivotal role Partners play.? Our mission, in collaboration with our Partners, is to prevent the abuse and neglect of Kentucky's children through advocacy, awareness, education, and training.?
5. We hosted the Annual Kids Are Worth It! Conference at the Central Bank Center in Lexington on 9.9.-9.10.? We offered?two new educational tracks relating to Opioid Use Disorder and Parent Engagement.
6. We hired two new?staff members and created three new positions, bringing new ideas, experiences, and ideas to the agency as we strive to move our mission forward across Kentucky!
7. We launched a series of educational content focused on internet safety, including three Parenting Slicks highlighting: internet safety tips, gaming safety tips, and tips to prevent cyberbullying.? Additionally, we developed an Internet Safety Coloring Book.
8. We secured funding for the Upstream Academy and general operations support!? Stay tuned for our official launch of Upstream Academy in February 2025.
9. We formed and directed activities of two cohorts of experts in the fields of Opioid Use Disorder and children with disabilities.?
10. We created 20 new educational materials and distributed them statewide!??

Announcing PCAK's "hot off the presses" news!

Over the past few months, PCAK has been busy creating new Partnerships, trainings, and more!? This section covers a few of these new and noteworthy things from us this month.

Staff Attended PCAA Meeting?

Jill, Janna, and Amanda were honored to present at the Annual Prevent Child Abuse America Executive Directors' Meeting, held in Phoenix, AZ.? During this presentation, staff covered our Partner Network and the ways Partners have been engrained in the work we do as an organization.?

Plans Are Underway for #CAPM2025!

April feels far away, but staff are already planning our activities for Child Abuse Prevention Month 2025.? This year's theme, Powered By Hope | Strengthened By Prevention, will drive our engagements throughout the state.? If you are interested in learning more about Child Abuse Prevention Month, please join our Partner Planning Call on 1.13.25!? Register here!?

Upstream Academy to launch soon!

We have hinted at our Upstream Academy for several months, but a formal announcement will officially launch this new initiative in February 2025.? If you are interested in staying up-to-date on the Upstream Academy, express your interest here.?

Thank you for all you do to support Kentucky families. Your generous donations make a difference and make our work possible! This holiday season, we invite you to join us in fostering happy, healthy childhoods. Together, we are creating a better Commonwealth for children and families!