Violence Prevention Programs
In 1995 the DCF selected violence prevention in
young children as the focus for program grants for the following
reasons:
-
Violence. A survey of community needs in 1993
showed that youth violence - within the categories of drugs and
crime - was viewed as one of the most serious problems in the
state.
-
Prevention. To make a significant impact on
violence, it was important to focus on prevention at an early
age. The DCF is a long-term, forward thinking organization
interested in preventing violence as an approach to treating
violence.
-
Children. Children are our future - we owe it to
them (and to our community) to give them every opportunity for a
safe, productive life free from violence.
It was believed that the DCF could play a role in
addressing the factors that contribute to the cycle of violence by
funding programs that promote effective parenting skills, conflict
resolution, child care, health and nutrition, and self-esteem
building - programs that would help to break the cycle of violence.
If successful, such strategies would serve to reduce the incidence
of all types of violence being perpetrated on our children, around
our children, and by our children.
Some factors that were identified as contributing to
the cycle of violence:
-
inadequate prenatal care
-
parents isolated by divorce or abandonment
-
failure to stimulate infants' intellectual
development
-
inadequate nutrition
-
lack of safe environments
Some multi-disciplinary, long-term prevention
strategies supported by the DCF:
-
Strengthening Delaware's child care system
and supporting family support programs in centers that serve
low-income neighborhoods
-
Sponsoring educational programs on teenage
parenthood
-
Working with the health care community to
ensure there is better access to, and awareness of, prenatal
care and nutrition programs
-
Supporting services to victims of child
abuse, both physical and sexual, offered in schools,
churches, or other community centers
-
Encouraging the teaching of nurturing skills
to children and youth, as well as parents and caregivers
-
Promoting affordable housing and special
programs that enrich the quality of life for the
economically disadvantaged
The Delaware Community Foundation presented
GHOSTS FROM THE NURSERY - A Violence Prevention
Conference
as the culminating activity for the DCF's
five-year grantmaking program, Violence Prevention: An
Investment in Children from Birth to Age Five. |
