Throughout the vast area that encompasses Hillsborough County, there are many different educational
programs that are often ignored, including many nonprofit organizations dedicated to working in the
county’s school system. One organization in particular, Champions for Children, works tirelessly to
encourage and support the safety and community awareness of thousands of families living in this school
district.

Down below is an exclusive interview with Ashley Lord, Coordinator of Kids on the Block, a branch of the
organization’s different programs that works with an unlikely ally to educate elementary-aged kids about
different important topics and real-world situations- an entourage of puppets.

Q: When was Champions for Children founded and by who?

A:Champions for Children, formerly the Child Abuse Council, is a private non-profit agency established in
1977 as an outgrowth of a social service project of The Junior League of Tampa.

Q: What is Champions for Children's main goal, and has it changed over the time period from which is
started?

A: The mission at Champions for Children is to build stronger families in the Tampa Bay region through child
abuse prevention and family education programs. We do this because we envision a world that is free
from child abuse and neglect. In order to accomplish this mission, we offer programming to help build
strong family units that contribute to the community. We hope to ensure that all children are endowed with
the fundamental human rights of safety, stability, and freedom from fear by learning self-control in a
nurturing environment of responsible adults.

The mission has always been similar with rewordings over time. The name changed from the Child Abuse
Council about 5 years ago to better reflect our efforts in the community. Our home-visiting program,
Parents as Teachers, has staff going in and out of client homes and we did not want parents to believe
they were being accused of child abuse. However, we can all be champions for the children in our
community, parents and teachers alike, by learning about child development. The new names suits us
much better!

Q: One of the main organizations that is a part of Champions is Kids on the Block. Could you tell me more
about Kids on the Block and its purpose, as well as other organizations under Champions for Children?

A: Champions for Children has grown to be one of the leading family-serving agencies in Hillsborough
County. Champions’ programs and services have been accredited by the Council on Accreditation of
Children and Family Service Organizations (COA) since 2004.

Recognized by national childhood organizations, Champions has been designated as Champions for
Children Brazelton Touchpoints ™ Site of Tampa Bay, Family Nurturing Center of Tampa Bay ™ and as
Florida’s Parents as Teachers State Office. With 11 programs, 6 facilities and collaborations with
multiple agencies and funders, Champions served close to 38,000 individuals in 2016.

Approximately 24,000 of those children served were 3rd and 4th grade students participating with the
Kids on the Block (KOTB) educational puppetry program. The remaining served were Hillsborough
County families with children who participated with a myriad of family and parent education services such
as Baby Bungalow parent-child developmental playgroups and developmental screening services; the
internationally renowned Parents as Teachers home-visiting service, and prenatal/breastfeeding support
services via our A Breastfeeding and Childbirth (ABC) Program.

Q:What can kids gain from the Kids on the Block show?

A: Kids on the Block (KOTB) is a troupe of educational puppets that perform personal safety education
shows about Child Abuse Prevention and Bullying & Stereotyping Prevention for Hillsborough County public and private elementary school students. We have partnered with the school district since 1994
bringing shows directly to students during the school day. The shows provide children with knowledge to
recognize inappropriate, harmful behavior and seek help.

KOTB’s Child Abuse Prevention Program is presented to third grade students by extensively trained
educational puppeteers to explain child abuse and neglect. Listening to the puppet characters’ age-
appropriate stories, students learn that abuse is never their fault and to use the “NO, GO and TELL”
safety message.

KOTB’s Bullying and Stereotyping Prevention Program is presented to fourth grade students and creates
an awareness of what constitutes bullying, and encourages empathy for the victim. Respect of physical,
developmental, and cultural differences is also addressed. Students learn to “Recognize, Refuse, and
Report” bullying to promote school safety.

In addition to our two core programs described above, Personal Safety Readiness skits are presented to
early childhood students (0-5) at various childcare centers/child development programs to teach students
the benefit of creating an Emergency Safety Plan, how to call 911 and other important phone numbers, to
use the “NO, GO and TELL” safety message, and to identify tricky adults.

This academic year (FY 2017-2018), we will be partnering with The Centre for Girls and the Boys & Girls
Club to teach high school and middle school students the art of puppetry. Students involved in the
program will learn to perform a Kids on the Block puppet show called "Alternatives to Violence" about
gang and violence prevention. Additionally, students will write, direct, and create/construct their own
puppets to perform short shows involving social education topics. Students will then take their shows on
the road and perform for younger students in after school programs.

For more information on the impact this organization had in 2016, you can visit the site below:
https://cfctb.org/about-us/2016- impact-report/