You may have noticed a bunch of pinwheels spinning in the breeze around Billings.
As part of Child Abuse Prevention Month, silver and blue pinwheels have been placed at several places, including the courthouse lawn and MetraPark.
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Pinwheels at the Yellowstone County Courthouse lawn are arranged in the shape of a ribbon to bring awareness about child abuse prevention.
Those speaking out here say that there is hope and they see some progress being made to help families and children.
“We really need to not be numbed by the numbers because, as you know, even one case is a tragedy,” said Billings Mayor Bill Cole.
Cole says about 400 cases a year of child abuse or neglect are reported in Yellowstone County, along with 11,000 referrals of suspected and possible abuse or neglect in Montana each year.
“Everybody is susceptible to it, and it's a community problem and so we want people to know that there's a way to prevent it and that there's hope,” said Toree Ranney, Family Tree Nurturing Center postnatal family advocate.
Ranney works with families to prevent abuse.
“Adverse childhood event, that can cause lifetime issues,” Ranney said. “It can cause health problems, mental illnesses and learning disabilities so it can completely cloud and stunt a child's growth.”
Ranney does home visits and parenting classes to help families overcome abuse and neglect.
“A lot of parents, when we talk about apologizing to their children, they're just really empowered that they can start there,” Ranney said.
“And whereas research shows that provisions of early education and preventative services for parents of young children and families are effective, they also aid in stopping the generational cycles of abuse,” Yellowstone County Commissioner Mike Waters said in reading the commissioner’s proclamation.
“Whereas providing a safe and nurturing environment for children without violence, abuse, or neglect ensure that the most vulnerable members of our community will develop into their full potential,” Cole read from a city proclamation.
The city of Billings and Yellowstone County each designated April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Rainey says awareness and education are helping families.
"There's a lot of hope, and things are changing,” Ranney said. “I see the culture of parenting shifting a lot.”
