Office of Early Childhood Kicks Off CLICK for Babies Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                     Connecticut Office of Early Childhood
August 3, 2015                                                     Contact:  Diana Lejardi
(860) 713-6414

Hartford – The Connecticut Office of Early Childhood (OEC) is kicking off its participation in the nationwide CLICK for Babies campaign organized by the National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome (NCSBS) in partnership with hospitals, public health and child abuse prevention groups to create awareness of the leading trigger for infant abuse, frustration with infant crying. The OEC and community organizations will be collecting and distributing purple handmade caps across the state to new parents through December. In addition, a series of community events in August and September will help educate parents about infant crying and the dangers of infant abuse.

“As a parent myself, I know how difficult and exhausting a crying infant can be,” said OEC Commissioner, Dr. Myra Jones-Taylor. “Frustration with a crying baby is the number one trigger for the shaking and abuse of babies. It’s important parents understand that it’s okay to be frustrated, but there are things they can do to help soothe their baby and keep their baby safe.”

Through September, communities all across North America are donating handmade caps stitched in all shades of purple for distribution to new parents in November and December. Along with these caps, new parents will receive a video, booklet and bedside information describing the Period of PURPLE Crying, a period of time when infant crying increases which typically begins when babies are about two weeks old, peaks in the second month and ends around the third to fifth month of life. Individuals and organizations interested in donating caps should contact Luz Rivera of the Office of Early Childhood at (860) 713-5812 or luz.rivera@ct.gov for information on how they can participate.

The Period of PURPLE Crying is a new way to understand a baby’s crying, how to respond to prolonged crying and the importance of never shaking a child – all in an effort to prevent the shaking and abuse of infants. The Period of PURPLE Crying is offered in a number of hospitals throughout the state through the OEC’s Nurturing Families Network. For more information about the Period of PURPLE Crying visit www.PURPLEcrying.info.

Parents are invited to attend a CLICK for Babies community event offering information about The Period of PURPLE Crying including infant crying, hands-on activities, handouts and answers to their questions at the following events:

To learn more about CLICK for Babies go to: www.CLICKforBabies.org.

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Interview with Brad Davis about the campaign (8/4/2015, 7:30, mp3)