The Ounce of Prevention Fund's Prevention Services unit, also referred to as Prevent Child Abuse Florida (PCA Florida), maintains the chapter's charter agreement and implements primary prevention activities and advocates for policies and initiatives to strengthen Florida's families and communities so children can grow and develop through healthy, safe and nurturing experiences.
Prevent Child Abuse America (PCA America) was founded in 1972. PCA America is the first organization in the United States whose sole mission is "to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation's children." It undertakes its mission by affecting change at the governmental and community level on the systems that support the full range of services needed to promote the child development process and provide parents with better conditions to be the kind of parents they want to be. Based in Chicago, PCA America has state chapters in 50 states and nearly 600 Healthy Families America (HFA) sites, in 39 states, including Florida's largest child abuse prevention program, Healthy Families Florida.
In prevention and early intervention services, collaboration is essential to maximize effective use of resources and eliminate duplication of efforts. This collaboration provides the Ounce of Prevention Fund with a means to share information on evidenced-based and effective programs and strategies for prevention and early intervention with Florida's communities.
PCA Florida is funded through the Florida Department of Children and Families with Community Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) dollars. While PCA America chapters share a focus on the prevention of child abuse and neglect and engage in similar activities including advocacy, public awareness, training/education, prevention programming, coalition building, and Child Abuse Prevention Month activities, each chapter is independent and unique in terms of the kinds of strategies and programming they offer.
PCA America's mission is to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation's children. PCA Florida's mission is to prevent the abuse and neglect of Florida's children.