Imagine being a student attending a puppet show at school. You’re excited to see the Kids on the Block puppets that your teacher has talked about all week and to break away from your normal classroom work. You find a seat in the library next to your best friend and you are tuned in, ready for the show to start! The puppets introduce themselves and begin acting out the skit. You realize they are mentioning topics like the forms of abuse and you fixate on their words about physical and emotional abuse. This is a topic that you have been too afraid to even think about since you’ve experienced this at home yourself. You want to ask questions, but you’re too afraid to do so in front of everyone else. You learn that the abuse is not your fault and decide to use the “No, Go, Tell” safety message they mentioned and tell an adult you trust. This is the reality for many of the students who attend our Kids on the Block puppet shows at school. 

Champions’ Kids on the Block educational puppetry performances educate children about how to recognize and report child abuse, neglect, bullying, and other maltreatment. During the 2019-20 school year, KOTB performances reached more than 17,000 children despite the forced cancellation of more than 70 scheduled performances due to COVID-19 school closures! In response to the pandemic and other current events, our creative team of puppeteers also created kid-friendly videos that teachers across the county shared with their students and have since incorporated into their remote curricula.

We are excited to share our Kids on the Block Report for the 2019-20 School Year. This report dives into the successes of this program in the 2019-2020 school year, including the overall effectiveness and impact of the program, new program updates, and real stories from children who got help as a result of the program. Check it out below!

Did you know? 1 in 50 kids who see our Kids on the Block Child Abuse Prevention puppet show are empowered to come forward about abuse and get help. That’s FOUR times the rate of confirmed cases in Hillsborough County. Check out our 2019-20 report on this powerful program.

How You Can Help: With a monthly gift of just $10/mo, you can provide a Child Abuse Prevention performance to an entire elementary school classroom. For many children, your gift will be life-changing. Plus, you’ll automatically become a member of our “Champion Builders” society and receive a free gift and special updates! Will you make a monthly gift today? 

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