Favorite Things

Meagan Piantanida - My Discovery Destination! 

April 6, 2023

I like to quote things like Disney movies and famous people. Benjamin Franklin is credited with one of my favorite and most-used quotes. What is that, you say? I’m glad you asked!  

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” It means it’s easier (and usually more cost-effective) to prevent something than it is to fix it once it’s busted. Think brakes on your car. It’s much cheaper to replace worn brake pads than to turn or replace rotors. Go ahead, look it up.  

But this statement doesn’t just apply to automobile maintenance. It’s the same way with helping mold children into confident, loving adults who positively contribute to society. When families spend time together building good memories and having fun, more is happening than meets the eye. When parents spend quality time and engage with their children, any of the socially-recognized, scientifically-proven preventative factors to prevent child abuse are fostered, namely, environments that provide: nurturing and attachment, positive child and youth development, social connections, support for parents, and healthy social and emotional competence for children (childwelfare.org).  

Does this sound familiar? It should! It’s what  My Discovery Destination! and the Discovery Family Coalition (a community collaboration that brings all community sectors together to build strong families, the lead organization of which is My Discovery Destination!) has been helping with since its inception. It is our mission “to strengthen families.” How? “Providing opportunities for FREE Family Fun and connecting parents with programs, resources, and information that help them acquire the skills necessary to raise loving, responsible, resilient children.” 

Strong families are the best protective factor to prevent child abuse. April is recognized as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. In 2022, Utah started calling April Strengthening Families Month– focusing more on the positive, proactive side– something the team at My Discovery Destination! supports 100%. My Discovery Destination! has a unique, easy, and FREE way to provide Family Adventures that foster an environment in which families grow together. These Adventures promote bonding and attachment and teach important parenting skills to help parents recognize that spending time with their children DOES make a difference.

The best part? The Discovery Family Adventures work to improve your family while it looks like all you’re doing is having fun! It’s a great way to embody Utah’s preferred title of Strengthening Families Month. We take our mission so seriously that we invite all those who have and want to collaborate with us to join the Discovery Family Coalition. Also, feel free to borrow ready-made graphics from our We CAN and Parent Protective Factors Campaigns that will allow you to promote Family Strengthening Month online and through social media.

Welcome aboard!

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Immediate Release

An Ounce of Prevention

My Discovery Destination! and the Discovery Family Coalition focus on strengthening families as prevention

April 4, 2023 - Logan, Utah 

April is known nationally as Prevent Child Abuse Month.

Benjamin Franklin has been quoted as saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The statement is now recognized as a modern-day proverb to mean “it is easier to take small steps to prevent something from happening than dealing with a problem once it is established” (grammarist.com). By strengthening families, many of the socially-recognized, scientifically-proven preventative factors to prevent child abuse are fostered, namely, environments that provide: nurturing and attachment, positive child and youth development, social connections, support for parents, and healthy social and emotional competence for children (childwelfare.org). 

This is what My Discovery Destination! does, and it is their “mission…to strengthen families by providing opportunities for FREE Family Fun and connecting parents with programs, resources and information that help them acquire the skills necessary to raise loving, responsible, resilient children.”

The Discovery Family Coalition is a community collaboration, coordinated by the My Discovery Destination! team that brings all sectors of the community together around a common goal: strengthening families and building resilience in youth.

Strong families are the best protective factor to prevent child abuse. My Discovery Destination! has a unique, easy, and FREE way to provide Family Adventures that foster an environment in which families grow together. These Adventures promote bonding and attachment and teach important parenting skills known as TIPS. Sharilee Griffiths, the program director, says, “The TIPS built into each of the Discovery Family Adventures teaches parents what they don’t know, and then consistently reminds them of what they now know.” 

The best part? The Discovery Family Adventures work to make your family better while it looks like all you’re doing is having fun! Get connected to the Adventures by downloading the Goosechase App and searching for the game code ADVENTURES. Be sure to spread the word!