What those school pinwheel gardens symbolize (Child Abuse Prevention Month)

In April, lawns at schools across the Archdiocese of Newark become a sea of blue with Pinwheel Gardens erected in support of Child Abuse Prevention Month.

In 2008 Prevent Child Abuse America introduced the Pinwheels for Prevention® campaign and encouraged the planting of pinwheels, which represent childlike whimsy and lightheartedness.

The Archdiocese of Newark’s Office of Child and Youth Protection leads efforts to raise awareness during Child Abuse Prevention Month, encouraging schools and parish programs to engage in age-appropriate activities to advocate for child abuse prevention including the erecting of Pinwheels for Prevention Gardens.

Gina Criscuolo, Coordinator for the Office of Accompaniment, emphasized the crucial role Catholic educational institutions play in protecting children’s innocence and well-being.

“The essence of Pinwheels for Prevention is that it is a fun activity for kids to participate in by writing positive affirmations about themselves or their friends,” while also learning about child abuse prevention, she said.

Criscuolo also highlighted the beauty of childhood and stressed the importance of preserving innocence during this valuable stage of life. “There are so many beautiful things about being a child,” she said.

The Office of Child and Youth Protection, along with the Office of Accompaniment, offers schools and parish catechetical programs templates sourced from The Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse (CPCA), a non-profit organization committed to curtailing instances of child abuse since its inception in 1973. The pinwheel templates include instructions for decorating and constructing the pinwheels, including writing positive affirmations about oneself and their classmates on the pinwheels.

The activities are accompanied by age-appropriate dialogue centered on the prevention of child abuse and the cultivation of self-care practices.