Child abuse prevention begins with awareness, education, and empowerment. When children have the knowledge to recognize unsafe situations and the confidence to speak up, they gain important tools to help protect themselves.
At the Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center (ECCAC), our In-School Prevention Team works to build a safer future by bringing child safety education directly to students in kindergarten through fifth grade across Okaloosa and Walton Counties.
Through classroom lessons and community outreach, our Community Outreach Advocates help children understand personal safety while equipping adults with the knowledge and resources to recognize and respond to concerns about child abuse.
Empowering Children Through Safety Education
ECCAC’s Community Outreach Advocates provide in-person training to K–5 students in the Okaloosa and Walton County School Districts using the Monique Burr Foundation for Children’s Safety Matters curriculum.
These engaging, interactive lessons introduce children to important concepts related to personal safety, recognizing unsafe situations, identifying safe adults, and speaking up when something does not feel right.
Children learn strategies for recognizing potentially unsafe relationships and understanding where they can turn for help. The lessons also encourage disclosure by helping children understand that they can use their voices and speak with a trusted adult when they have concerns.
This education is designed to empower children without placing the responsibility for preventing abuse on them. Protecting children remains an adult responsibility, and prevention education is one important part of creating safer environments.
Since the program’s implementation in 2017, ECCAC’s prevention team has delivered thousands of lessons to children and received numerous disclosures of abuse. During the 2024–2025 school year alone, the team delivered 1,040 prevention lessons and reached 19,336 students across the community.
Each lesson represents an opportunity to reinforce personal safety, build awareness, and help children understand where they can turn for support.
Breaking the Cycle Through Community Education
Preventing child abuse takes more than classroom instruction. It requires informed adults, strong community partnerships, and a shared commitment to protecting children.
ECCAC’s prevention team participates in community, school, and public events to raise awareness and help community members understand their role in child safety.
Through free training sessions and informal presentations, the team provides education on topics such as mandated reporting, cell phone and internet safety, safe sleep, and other child safety concerns.
This outreach helps parents, caregivers, educators, and other community members recognize potential risks and better understand how to respond when a child may be unsafe.
By sharing knowledge and encouraging action, ECCAC helps strengthen the network of adults working to protect children throughout our community.
Prevention Is a Community Responsibility
Every child deserves to grow up in a safe environment surrounded by adults who listen, recognize concerns, and take action when necessary.
Families can support prevention efforts by maintaining open communication with children, teaching age-appropriate personal safety concepts, identifying trusted adults, and reassuring children that they can speak up when something makes them uncomfortable.
Community members can also help by learning the signs of abuse, understanding their responsibilities as mandated reporters when applicable, and knowing how to report concerns.
When children are empowered with age-appropriate safety knowledge and adults are equipped to respond, our community is better positioned to recognize concerns and connect children with support.
Building a Safer Future for Every Child
ECCAC’s In-School Prevention Team is working to build a better, healthier future through education, awareness, and empowerment. From interactive classroom lessons to community training, these efforts help make child safety a shared priority across Okaloosa and Walton Counties.
Prevention is an ongoing commitment. Every lesson creates an opportunity to build awareness, every training can equip another protective adult, and every child deserves to know that their voice matters.
Because every child deserves a childhood.
Help Us Keep Children Safe
The Emerald Coast Children’s Advocacy Center provides advocacy, trauma-focused therapy, and prevention education for children in Okaloosa and Walton Counties at no cost to the children and families we serve.
Learn more about ECCAC’s programs and how you can support our mission to empower, restore, and prevent.