The Child Protection Center, Inc. (CPC) is proud to announce funding support from community partners, including Heron Creek Community Foundation, Venice Golf & Country Club, Sun Community, and Libertore Fund for Children, to strengthen and expand the organization’s Personal Safety and Community Awareness Program (PSCA), Florida’s longest tenured child abuse prevention education program. 

This collaborative investment will help CPC continue providing free prevention education workshops to children, caregivers, educators, and community members throughout Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. PSCA equips children and adults with the knowledge and skills needed to recognize unsafe situations both in person and online, prevent abuse, and seek help when needed. Workshops address over 20 critical topics such as personal safety, sexual abuse prevention, internet safety, bullying, and healthy boundaries.

“Prevention education saves lives,” said Douglas Staley, Executive Director of CPC. “If we are serious about reducing child abuse in our communities then we must also be serious about investing in our PSCA program. Because of the generosity of community partners and others who believe in protecting children, we are able to empower more young people, strengthen more families, and create a safer community for all.”

Founded in 1992, PSCA has reached more than 850,000 children and adults over the course of its history and currently conducts hundreds of educational workshops annually, all at no cost to participants. In the past year alone, CPC’s prevention educators conducted more than 500 workshops serving 50,000+ individuals across the region. This funding will help sustain these outreach efforts and expand access to prevention programming in schools, youth-serving organizations, healthcare offices, and community settings. 

“A child’s best defense against abuse is a community that’s educated, aware, and empowered,” said Mr. Staley. “If we can prevent abuse from ever happening, what a wonderful gift.”

Free prevention resources are also available in CPC’s Resource Library at cpcsarasota.org/resources. 

The Child Protection Center’s (CPC) mission is the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse, as the organization envisions a community where children are safe from abuse and free to thrive. For over 45 years, CPC has been serving Sarasota and DeSoto Counties in the State of Florida and is accredited by the National Children’s Alliance. For more information on CPC or to inquire about ways to get involved, please visit them at cpcsarasota.org or call 941-365-1277.