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Be Careful Who Cares for Your Child

Be Careful Who Cares for Your Child

In July 2010, ACS launched an educational campaign titled “Be Careful About Who Cares for Your Child,” urging New York parents to be cautious when leaving children with caregivers, even those who are relatives or close family friends.

The campaign was being launched in response to a significant number of recent child fatalities in which very young children and babies were allegedly killed by their fathers or by a companion of the child’s mother.

The campaign consisted of radio ads, posters and palm cards in English and Spanish. Flyers with child safety information from the campaign are also available in Arabic, Bengale, Chinese, Creole, French, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Urdu.


Campaign Materials

Radio Ads (MP3)

Posters

Download all five posters in PDF: English | Spanish

Media Coverage

ACS's Lisette Matos spoke to NY1 Noticias about the ACS Caregiver Campaign (Spanish)


A Life to Love: Preventing Accidental Injury to Our Most Precious Resource

ACS has produced “A Life to Love,” a child safety video that educates parents and caregivers on preventing tragedies. ACS investigates more than 55,000 reports of alleged abuse and neglect each year and a number of these cases could be avoided simply through education and awareness. Through educating New Yorkers with “A Life to Love,” ACS aims to reduce high-risk situations and create safe environments for children.


Information in other languages

When choosing a caregiver, parents should select someone who:

  • Has experience caring for babies and young children
  • Is patient and mature enough to care for a fussy, overexcited or crying baby
  • Understands that young children must always be watched
  • Will never shake, hit, yell at, make fun of, or withhold food from a child as punishment
  • Does not abuse alcohol or drugs, or carry a weapon, and will not surround a child with others who may be drinking, using or selling drugs, or carrying weapons.

There are warning signs of a potentially dangerous caregiver include someone who is:

  • Angry or severely impatient when children have tantrums, cry or misbehave
  • Violent and/or controlling with their partners
  • Physically or verbally abusive with children
  • An abuser of alcohol and drugs, including marijuana
  • Using prescription medications that have bad side effects or make them drowsy, or
  • Not trust worthy for any reason

No matter how angry or frustrated you feel when your baby or toddler cries, and no matter how much he or she cries, never shake your baby or toddler. Shaking can cause bleeding in the brain that can injure or even kill a child. It takes only a few seconds of shaking to seriously hurt a baby’s developing brain.

  • Never Shake Your Baby
  • Make sure he or she isn’t hungry, wet, cold or hot
  • Offer a pacifier
  • Walk around holding the baby close to you, in your arms or in a carrier. Talk or sing to him
  • Call a trusted friend, relative, or neighbor to talk to or ask someone to come over and keep you company
  • When all else fails, put your baby in the crib. Make sure she’s safe. Check in every five minutes or so. It is much better to let the baby cry than to do something that may be harmful to stop the crying

Resources

  • The Parent Helpline at 1(800) CHILDREN (244-5373), or visit Prevent Child Abuse
  • Safe Horizon Domestic Violence Hotline 1(800) 621-HOPE ((800) 621-4673), TDD (Hearing Impaired) 1(866) 604-5350
  • NY Foundling’s Family Crisis Center at 1(888) 435-7553 or visit Crisis Nursery Helpline
  • Help for depression, alcohol and drug problems, 1(888) NYC-WELL (1-888 692-9355 )
  • To Report child abuse and neglect call 1(800) 342-3720