Teachers contribute to child maltreatment prevention by helping families build protective factors including all of the following except:

• A. Anticipating that families will get all of the support they need from social services
• B. Strengthening caregiver-child relationships
• C. Connecting families with community resources
• D. Teaching positive parenting skills

Answer: (A)

Protective factors that help prevent child maltreatment come from active, ongoing supports that families can build and draw on—strong caregiver–child relationships, access to resources, and parenting knowledge and skills. Teachers contribute by nurturing warm, predictable relationships with children and their caregivers, guiding parents in positive parenting strategies, and helping families connect with community resources or supports when stressors arise. Expecting that families will get all the help they need from social services is not aligned with these protective factors because it places the entire burden on external systems and assumes seamless, complete support, which is often not the case. The other actions—strengthening the caregiver–child bond, linking families to community resources, and teaching positive parenting skills—actively build the supports that reduce risk and promote resilience.