Sunshine House adding education services to Llano

The center, which conducts forensic interviews of young victims of abuse, is preparing to expand its “Yello Dyno” program to Llano Elementary School, where officials say they’ll teach more than 300 students how to recognize threats from bullies, child predators, drug dealers and possible abductors.

The kid-friendly program — named for its yellow dinosaur mascot — has so far helped about 400 students at the Burnet and Shady Grove Elementary Schools in Burnet, HCCAC Executive Director Deborah Keith said.

The HCCAC serves children in seven counties, including Burnet, Llano, Lampasas, Blanco, Mason, Mills and San Saba.

The center interviews young victims and records the session for use by police during investigations.  It is a “one-stop shop,” meaning the victims aren’t interviewed over and over, saving them from having to relive the traumatic experience. Since it was founded in 1992, the center — located in the Sunshine House at 1001 North Hill St. in Burnet — has seen the population of its service area nearly double, bringing increased reports of child abuse.

“We have recently expanded our service area, and unfortunately, we are busier than ever,” Keith said. “We have conducted 241 child victim interviews so far in 2008, and there are still two months left in the year.”

The center interviewed 221 victims in 2007, she added. There is no cost for the service.

As part of an effort to prevent child abuse before it occurs, officials said the Yello Dyno program teaches non-fearful abuse prevention techniques to students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

“I started my 1,900th interview this morning, and I felt like I never should have done a single one,” forensic interviewer Mikey Betencourt said. “When I interview the victims, I ask them why they may not have talked to anyone about what happened, the answer is almost always that they didn’t know who to tell.”