The Latest News from First 1,000 Days Suncoast
Hello Partners!
We’re thrilled to share our recent strides in supporting and connecting families with resources and working collaboratively with organizations and parents to address barriers. These past few months, we have listened to the needs of parents, launched projects to better support them, expanded our navigator workgroups, and conducted a landscape survey of community barriers and existing services. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our shared mission. Let’s continue to work hand in hand, meeting families where they are and delivering compassionate, results-oriented care that makes a difference.
Thank you,
First 1,000 Days Suncoast Team
Parents Asked and We Listened
Diapers and wipes consistently remain a top requested need from parents through our Family Navigation program. Partnering with Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County, we were able to collect a significant 12,332 diapers and 242 wipes thanks to the generous donations from community partners and individuals!
We began our diaper distribution in the fall of last year, where our team met with different organizations to gather the supplies and later connected with those in need at diaper distribution sites, handing out the sizes and supplies requested.
If your organization knows of families in need of diapers and wipes, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Email: First1000Days@smh.com
Meeting Parents Where They Are: 2024 Parent Focus Groups
This spring, we coordinated and facilitated the First 1,000 Days Suncoast Parent Focus Groups - a biennial tradition that’s vital for shaping our initiatives and strategic direction! In these sessions, hosted by 11 nonprofit partner organizations with 100+ attendees, parents shared their dreams and challenges. We were also able to recruit many parent leaders for our Parent Advisory Committee.
By meeting parents where they are, we ensure our efforts have a meaningful impact. A huge thank you to all our host organizations for giving parents the space to express the dreams they have for their children and the everyday barriers they face in reaching them. With their input, we can improve the services and resources we have available.
Expanding Our Reach:
DeSoto Navigator Workgroup
First 1,000 Days has expanded our navigator workgroups to DeSoto County! These meetings in Manatee and Sarasota have fostered a sense of community, providing opportunities for direct service workers to connect and support each other, while also increasing knowledge of resources and building new partnerships. We are now holding bimonthly gatherings, like our Sarasota and Manatee groups. We had our first meeting with 19 community “navigators” in DeSoto County last month at Goodwill in Arcadia, with Ashley Coone from Links 2 Success as co-facilitator with Janice Houchins.
Mission Recognition: Community Foundation of Sarasota County Awards Grant
We were awarded a $7,500 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County (CFSC) for our parent leadership work! These funds will help support our budget for parent leadership opportunities, including establishing a Spanish-speaking Parent Advisory Committee and stipends for all our parent advisors and leaders to offset costs for their time, childcare, and transportation. Our gratitude and appreciation for CFSC cannot be expressed enough and this brings us one step closer to ensuring that all parents can actively engage in shaping the future of our initiative, regardless of barriers they may face.
Education is Empowerment:
Our Team Presents Nationwide
Zero to Three Learn Conference
Dr. Chelsea Arnold, Initiative Manager, and Janice Houchins, Initiative Coordinator, along with Carla Johanns from one of our partner organizations, Forty Carrots Family Center, will be presenting at this year’s Zero to Three Learn Conference in California on August 1st. Their presentation, First 1,000 Days Suncoast Perinatal Mental Health Coordination Hub: A Collaborative Response to Support the Perinatal Population, will showcase the power of partnerships and data-driven solutions to transform perinatal mental health care. From addressing access barriers to launching a regional Coordination Hub, attendees will gain insights on how to leverage key partners, including parents, to collaboratively create a supportive ecosystem for pregnant and postpartum individuals.
Breakthroughs24: A Premier Inc. Conference
Dr. Chelsea Arnold will also be presenting with Mary O’Connor, Manager of Community Outreach for Women and Children’s Services at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, at the Breakthroughs24: A Premier Inc. Conference Experience, one of the nation’s leading and most influential healthcare conferences, this July in Washington, DC. Chelsea and Mary will speak about hospital-community partnerships, focusing on the work of First 1,000 Days Suncoast. Their presentation will highlight Sarasota Memorial Health Care System as our backbone organization, Unite Us and PINC AI™ as our tools/technology, the partnerships we have built with nonprofits, and most importantly, the co-creation of solutions with parents and their lived experience.
CONNECT WITH US!
Our community partners are vital to our mission! First 1,000 Days Suncoast is committed to working collaboratively to create innovative approaches and solutions that make a difference in families’ lives. We’re here for our fellow professionals as much as the families we serve!