The Blue Ribbon Champion for Safe Kids Award is presented to individuals who are highly dedicated to protecting children from abuse.

Harrisburg, Pa.– Pa Family Support Alliance (PFSA), the state’s leader in child abuse prevention, today awarded Nancy Reitzel with the Blue Ribbon Champion for Safe Kids Award. This award is given to four individuals who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to support and protect Pennsylvania’s children.

Reitzel is an Early Childhood Education Instructor for the Cumberland Perry Area Career & Technical Center in Mechanicsburg. She provides instruction to high school students on how to care for the nurturing, wellbeing, and safety of preschool-aged children.

“Nancy has made it her calling to not only protect children, but to train future generations on how to protect children,” said Angela Liddle. President, and CEO of PFSA. “For her, this is not a career: this is a passion. Countless students have benefitted from Nancy’s unwavering commitment to her work, and we are honored to recognize her as a Blue Ribbon Champion.”  

Reitzel provides mandated reporter training — a requirement for anyone in Pennsylvania seeking to work with her children — to her students, equipping them with this vital knowledge before they graduate. Her curriculum for her high school students covers crucial topics like child abuse and neglect. She empowers both high school and preschool students to assert their right to say no in any uncomfortable situation, while emphasizing the importance of personal boundaries and safety. Reitzel also developed a grooming curriculum for high school students, recognizing how critical it was for them to be able to identify the signs and stages of grooming.

In honor of this accomplishment, PFSA and Secretary Valerie Arkoosh of the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services recognized Reitzel in front of a packed audience of lawmakers, members of the media, child advocates, and students in the Capitol Rotunda today. Pictures and short b-roll clips from today’s ceremony can be found here.

PFSA was joined by Secretary Arkoosh, DHS Deputy Secretary Laval Miller-Wilson and local and state elected officials during today’s ceremony, which kicks off National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Each year, PFSA hosts activities and events throughout the Commonwealth to increase awareness about the need for individuals to learn about the warning signs of abuse and neglect.

According to the 2022 Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ Annual Child Protective Services Report, there were 4,992 substantiated cases of child abuse, 60 substantiated fatalities, and 138 substantiated near fatalities.

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About Pa Family Support Alliance

Pa Family Support Alliance prevents child abuse and protects children from harm by helping parents learn positive parenting techniques, educating professionals and volunteers who work with children to recognize and report child abuse, and helping community members learn how they can play a positive role in keeping children safe. To learn more about our programs, schedule a training, or donate, please visit pafsa.org, or call 800-448-4906.