About 50 people filled the rotunda at the Kane County courthouse in Geneva April 9 for the 23rd annual recognition that April is Child Abuse Prevention Month.

CASA Kane County, a nonprofit that serves children in foster care through Court Appointed Special Advocate volunteers hosted the event to promote awareness and prevention.

Executive Director Jim Di Ciaula reported that more than 220 children were reunited with their families, were adopted or came to safe, stable guardianships, out of the 600 yearly average of children in foster care.

“These are more than just numbers,” Di Ciaula said. “These are children whose futures changed because someone showed up. The need remains. In the first 90 day of this calendar year, 59 children entered foster care, representing one child every 36 hours – one child that is experiencing fear, uncertainty and loss, again and again.”

Di Ciaula said they should not accept that as normal.

“That’s why we are focusing not only on responding but on prevention,” Di Ciaula said.

“Child abuse and neglect are preventable,” said Tarra Winters of Prevent Child Abuse Illinois. “Prevention begins when families and communities are empowered to define what support looks like and when our systems align to meet those needs.”

Winters spoke of the pinwheels being passed out as symbols of April being National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Winters called the pinwheels symbols of possibilities, as they are displayed all across the state.

“They remind us when conditions are right, children can grow,” Winters said. “And when families are the center of those conditions, the possibilities are truly endless. Prevention is about creating those conditions.”

But Winters said the pinwheels are a symbol of something deeper.

“They reflect a shift in how we think about prevention. This month, we are working to shift the conversation,” Winters said. “Today, we are moving toward collective responsibility, shifting from reacting to crisis to building strong, prevention systems. We know prevention works.”

Research shows that positive experiences – such as safe, stable relationships – protect children, Winters said.

“When families are supported early, they are better prepared to create environments where children can reach their potential,” Winters said.

Home visiting programs partner with parents, offering support, guidance and connection during some of the most important years of a child’s life, she said.

“So as pinwheels spin across our communities this April, let them serve as a powerful reminder that when we listen to families, invest in prevention and take action together, because when we do, we create the means for every child to grow and reach their potential,” Winters said.

Chief Judge Robert Villa said the county is working to have establish the NEST Family Center – the name stands for Neutral Exchange Supervised Time – to provide supervised visitation, neutral parenting exchanges and family mediation.

Villa said the NEST program would reduce trauma for children whose parents are divorcing.