April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, an opportunity for our entire community to raise awareness of child abuse and neglect—and to come together to prevent them. 

Every year, thousands of children across North Texas are abused or neglected. Mistreatment during early childhood development can create negative impacts that last a lifetime, hindering an individual’s success in school, work and relationships; damaging their physical and mental health; and contributing to a cycle of violence. 

On the flip side, individuals, families and entire communities thrive when parents and other caregivers have what they need to succeed—when they feel empowered and informed to support their child’s development at every stage.  

At United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, parent education is a top priority. We lead and invest in programs that empower parents with knowledge, experience and resources, because when caregivers have what they need to be successful, they create a foundation that supports all three of our focus areas: education, income and health. 

Read on to learn more about how we can all work together to ensure North Texas children are safe and thriving. 

Dallas-Fort Worth Leads the State in Child Abuse Cases 

Child abuse and neglect are far too common, both nationwide and in Texas. Last year, there were nearly 60,000 confirmed victims of child abuse across our state, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Tragically, 124 children died due to abuse and neglect.  

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex led the state in cases of child abuse and neglect, with 12,091 children served by Child Protective Services (CPS). More than 4,000 of those cases happened in Dallas County alone, making it the third most dangerous county for children in the state.  

How Child Abuse Affects Our Community 

When children are abused or neglected in North Texas, it has a cascading effect on our entire region. 

Not surprisingly, child abuse significantly hinders a young scholar’s academic performance and can lead to lower grades, test scores and graduation rates. Lower graduation rates mean fewer students attending and finishing college. Over the course of their careers, workers without a higher degree or certificate will earn up to $24,000 less annually, on average, than their peers. Workers with lower incomes are more likely to accumulate debt, typically have less savings and are less likely to afford health insurance, leading to poorer health outcomes. 

Meanwhile, the long-term cognitive effects of child abuse—which can include anxiety, depression and mental and physical health conditions—only exacerbate these challenges over a person’s lifetime.  

Abigail Sharp, vice president of early childhood initiatives at United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, says we see the effects of child abuse throughout a person’s lifetime and across our communities. 

“Over time, child abuse impacts entire communities by restricting the supply of skilled workers, hindering our economic output and increasing health insurance costs,” she explained. “It really does impact all of us, so it’s important that we work together to empower parents with knowledge and resources, so every child grows up able to reach their full potential. And with thousands of children suffering right now across North Texas, it is urgent that we continue to act through prevention efforts.” 

How to Prevent Child Abuse in North Texas 

Despite the discouraging statistics, there is plenty to be hopeful about. According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective services, prevention is a powerful tool, even in the most extreme cases of abuse or neglect. “In nearly every child maltreatment fatality, someone or some system could have intervened and prevented the child’s death,” the agency wrote in its 2025 report on our state’s child abuse trends.  

Research shows that there are a variety of ways to prevent child abuse, including: 

• Raising awareness of the factors that can contribute to child abuse and neglect, including stress, tiredness and a lack of parenting skills or family/community support  

• Providing clear, consistent messaging about ways to protect children, such as safe sleep practices and water safety  

• Highlighting the fact that abuse can happen in families of all backgrounds and income levels  

• Equipping parents with tools and knowledge about their children and key development milestones so they know what to expect at every stage  

• Giving caregivers opportunities to build their skills, which enables them to react, even to challenging situations, in a healthy, constructive way 

• Connecting parents with supportive community resources 

Parental education and support programs directly benefit parents and prevent abuse. At United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, we lead and invest in programs that empower caregivers to create safe, healthy and happy homes and eliminate common parenting stressors that increase the risk for child abuse and neglect.  

When our community comes together to better support parents, their children are in a better position to thrive in all three of our focus areas—education, income and health—because a safe, healthy home environment creates a lifelong foundation. Preventing child abuse also saves our state significant amounts of money. Serving a single child in the foster care system for a year costs the state of Texas $17,290, which is 17 times the amount our child abuse prevention programming costs to serve one family. 

How We’re Preventing Child Abuse 

United Way has been the lead organization on home visiting in Dallas County since 2012. We connect and collaborate with a variety of organizations that offer home visits to support local parents. Each year, our coalition serves thousands of caregivers in North Texas, giving them the tools and knowledge they need to ward off child abuse and neglect before it ever happens. 

Two of our programs focus specifically on supporting families with young children: 

• Healthy Outcomes Through Prevention and Early Support (HOPES): Provides instruction, support and connections to community resources so parents can create home environments in which young children can thrive.  

• Texas Home Visiting Program: Matches local families with a trained home visitor—a nurse, trained professional or volunteer—to answer questions, offer advice, provide support and help prepare kids for kindergarten. 

During our last fiscal year, more than 3,100 local families participated in a home visiting program through HOPES or Texas Home Visiting Program, benefiting parents, children and the community as a whole.  

Let’s Unite to Prevent Child Abuse 

Child abuse cases remain high in North Texas, and we believe every child deserves protection. Join us as we work to prevent child abuse across our region: 

• Donate to support child abuse prevention. When you invest in United Way, you create lasting change right here at home. Your donation will help support programs like HOPES and Texas Home Visiting Program and ensure all North Texas children have the opportunity to thrive.  

• Advocate for strong families. Sign up here to receive our Advocacy Alerts and sign up for our new Policy in Brief newsletter. We’ll let you know how and when to contact your lawmakers to advocate for initiatives that prevent child abuse—for example, HOPES and Texas Home Visiting Program.  

Suspect Child Abuse? 

If you suspect abuse or neglect, contact the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services toll-free at 1-800-252-5400, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also file a report via their Abuse Hotline website. 

Need Support? 

If you are a parent who is struggling, please contact one of our partner agencies for resources and support: 

• Abide Women’s Health Services 

• AVANCE North Texas 

• ChildCareGroup 

• Dallas Independent School District HIPPY (Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters) 

• Family Care Connection 

• Lumin Education 

• Metrocare Services