WATERVILLE — April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and Kennebec Valley Community Action Program, a local organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect in Kennebec and Somerset counties, is spreading the message that everyone can help great childhoods happen in their community, according to a KVCAP news release.

Lanelle Freeman, director of Social Services, said “At KVCAP, we believe that we all play a role in the healthy development of children. Children need multiple adults in their lives to keep them safe, to ensure they are nurtured, and to help them to thrive. You’ve probably heard that the first years of a child’s life are a critical time for development. At KVCAP we teach parents and caregivers that they are their child’s first and most influential teachers; the ways you interact with a child matter. These early interactions lay the foundation for how well a child will do throughout their entire life. I encourage you to think about the children in your life and the many ways you are helping them to have a great childhood,” according to the release.

For more information, call Freeman at 859-1577 or visit kvcap.org.