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CAN Council educators teach classrooms about safe sleep, shaken baby syndrome, and fetal alcohol syndrome

CAN Council received a $10,000 grant from the Saginaw Community Foundation for the Safe Baby Program. This grant was provided by Hemlock Semiconductor Operation’s Community and Regional Empowerment (CARE) Fund administered at the foundation.

“I expected it to be much easier than it was. I think it is a great learning tool for responsibility. It was way more real than I expected it to be. It’s a good tool for all kids," said a local parent of a high school student.

The Safe Baby program teaches students the emotional, financial, and social consequences of becoming a parent. The program is intended to give students realistic expectations of parenthood, reducing the chance of future child abuse and/or neglect. In addition to classroom sessions, students participate by taking home a RealCare Infant Simulator (baby) for the weekend. 
 
“Funding for child abuse prevention is scarce and challenging to secure. Yet educating our youth about Shaken Baby Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and safe sleep practices is critical in creating awareness about preventable child death and avoidable developmental delays. This gift from Hemlock Semiconductor provides much needed funding to replace outdated and costly infant simulators used in educating local students on these topics through our Safe Baby program. The simulators are a key component to present our education in an engaging way that best replicates the genuine challenges in caring for a baby. We’re grateful for the partnership with Hemlock Semiconductor to revitalize our program,” said Emily Yeager, president and CEO of CAN Council.

For more information, call the CAN Council at (989) 752-7226 or visit cancouncil.org/