Supervisors recognize Child Month; decry violence against children

FAIRFIELD — Child Month, and all its parts, was in the spotlight at Tuesday's Solano County Board of Supervisors meeting. "Each year ..

. as part of April Children’s Month, community partners across Solano County join together to support activities and events that raise awareness about critical children’s issues, as well as celebrate and commemorate children," the staff report to the board states. The board, on a 4-1 vote with chairman Mitch Mashburn absent, also adopted a resolution recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month in Solano County.

The Child Month celebrations include: Autism Acceptance Month : Autism Acceptance Month, previously named Autism Awareness Month, emphasizes the need for public awareness to promote acceptance, celebrate the differences, and be more inclusive toward individuals with autism. Celebrate Autism Acceptance Month by lighting up a blue light all month long. Week of the Young Child (April 5-11): The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers, families, and communities.

Join NAEYC, Solano County Office of Education’s Early Learning Division, and First 5 Solano on Social Media during the week of April 5-11 for events and activities that celebrate our youngest learners. National Library Week (April 6-12) and El Dia de los Libros (April 30): National Library Week is celebrated in partnership with Solano County Libraries recognizes the enormous value we receive from our libraries every day. Not only do libraries provide us with books to read, but they offer valuable tools and resources and are continually changing to meet the demands of today’s technology and ever-expanding volumes of knowledge.

April 30 is recognized as El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros, also known simply as Día, as a celebration of children, families, and reading and emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all cultural and linguistic backgrounds, linking families to diverse books, languages and cultures. Join the library in celebrating El Día de los Niños/Dia de los Libros through programs at the various library branches during the week of April 23-30. Month of the Military Child: April is Month of the Military Child; a time to honor the sacrifices made by military families worldwide, with an emphasis on the experience of children of military members serving at home and overseas.

Although it is celebrated throughout the month of April, April 15 is designated as “Purple Up!” day recognizing all branches of the military. This brings the opportunity for community partnerships between our local military base at Travis Air Force Base on educating the public on the impact of deployment, creating community support networks, delivering educational, recreational and social outreach programs and ensuring that military youth become part of ongoing programs offered our community. As part of Child Abuse Prevention Month, the following observances are recognized: Children’s Light of Hope Day (April 18) : Children’s Light of Hope Day was established by the National Court Appointed Special Advocates and guardian ad litem (CASA/GAL) Association to recognize and acknowledge the CASA volunteers, foster parents, and adoptive parents who have opened their hearts and homes to abused and neglected children in our community.

CASA invites you to recognize Children’s Light of Hope Day in Solano County by lighting a virtual candle and posting it on Social media throughout the day on April 18. We hope to share your pictures of hope with the CASA children and youth that evening. Children’s Memorial Flag Day (April 25): The Children’s Memorial Day was established by the California Assembly in April 1997, which formally declares the fourth Friday in April as a statewide annual observance day.

On the fourth Friday in April every year the Children’s Memorial Flag is to be flown statewide in memory of all the young lives lost in California due to violence in the previous year. This is a day of remembrance set aside to recognize the national tragedy of violence against children. The Children’s Memorial Flag will be raised in the courtyard at Solano County Health and Social Services at 275 Beck Ave.

, Fairfield, on April 25, with a small gathering to observe a moment of silence and reflection to honor the Californians' young lives lost to violence..