Paving The Way

We've Been Published!

🎉

We've Been Published! 🎉

First 1,000 Days has been proud to provide support and consultation to other agencies and initiatives working on developing various aspects of our framework. From supporting agencies in building their own parent leadership councils and presenting community and agency-specific Unite Us data to sharing our model with collaboratives in other communities and states. We have also been accepted to speak at the National Premier Healthcare Conference this summer. This would not be possible without our fantastic community partners who assisted us in building a collective model that others want to emulate!

📘 First 1000 Days Suncoast has had its’ first publication in the Interdisciplinary Journal of Partnership Studies, read it by clicking HERE!

If you would like to learn more about how your own agency can implement various aspects into your work, please reach out! We love to share and are excited about the momentum in our community. We kindly ask that if you do model aspects of our work you cite First 1000 Days Suncoast. Numerous professionals worked with us to build this innovative model and we want to share our recognition of them. 🤝

Envisioning our Future

Thanks to the outpouring of support we received from our Partner Celebration & Visioning Event, we have built the framework for our 5-year strategic plan for First 1000 Days Suncoast! ✨
Based on the feedback from parents and professionals, our new mission and vision statement are listed below!
Vision: We envision a supportive community that helps families provide a safe, stable, loving environment so that children are healthy, resilient, and can reach their dreams!
Mission: To support and connect families with resources during pregnancy and throughout a child’s first 1000 days, when critical development occurs.

Long-term indicators were selected based on community data, professional feedback, and parent guidance.
Next, we will host a Landscape and Impact Assessment series to identify barriers, build capacity, and forge new inter-agency partnerships to address them.

From left to right: Siena, Community Support Specialist, Leslie, Parent Advocate, and Tina, Family Navigator.

Parent Leaders

👏 Thank you to all of the agencies who are hosting, facilitating, and promoting our upcoming 2024 Parent Focus Groups! We last hosted these groups in 2022, where we heard from 140+ parents and caregivers about their dreams and barriers. We are excited to listen again and gain insights into community-specific barriers to build targeted solutions. Modeling our parent framework from best practices shared by Aspen Institute and 100 Million Healthier Lives, we worked together with nonprofit executives and parents to develop community-specific questions and protocols to help shape our future.
If you're interested in hosting a focus group at your location where clients already gather, who are pregnant or have children 3 or younger, reach out to us at First1000Days@smh.com.
We will provide food and gift cards to the parents who participate to thank them for their critical feedback and consultation. We can also conduct a Spanish-speaking focus group!

Targeted Intervention: Diaper Drive

💕 Parents asked and we listened.

Diapers and wipes were shared as a top need by families in the community. Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County and First 1,000 Days Suncoast partnered to collect these baby items through the months of December and January. They will be distributed to families in need across Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated! Through your contributions, we've gathered essential supplies that will reduce stress for many parents. Your kindness has touched lives and made a real difference in our community.

Want to get more involved?

Take a look at our ongoing workgroups below and reach out to join in on the fun! ⬇️
Email First1000Days@smh.com for any questions or inquiries.

Navigator Workgroup – Helping professionals aka “helping heroes” (navigators, case managers, community health workers, peer support specialists) meet monthly to learn about community resources, build partnerships, network with their peers, and discuss complicated cases. Meetings alternate between Sarasota and Manatee Counties every month.
Parent Engagement and Leadership Workgroup – Established in 2023, this group of parents and professionals meet virtually and work to foster parent engagement and leadership opportunities across systems. The aim is to build a cadre of equipped and empowered parent leaders and connect them to meaningful leadership roles.
Care Coordination Workgroup – Community leaders review Unite Us referral data to identify barriers, capacity concerns, and opportunities, all with an emphasis on health equity. Reviewing this information uncovers ways to improve coordination and prompt responses from professionals, with trackable outcomes. Partnership ideas have surfaced to create a streamlined connection to support.
Perinatal Mental Health Coordination Hub Workgroup – Established in 2021, this group of professionals meet virtually and work to improve the availability of and access to mental health services for pregnant and/or post-partum individuals by: promoting screenings, identifying barriers & creating solutions, building capacity and reducing perinatal mental health stigma.
Parent Advisory Committee – Established in 2020, this diverse group of parents (either pregnant and/or have a child(ren) under the age of 3) meet virtually and provide feedback on Initiative activities, co-create solutions to barriers, learn about child development & parenting tips, and network with other parents.

90 Organizations. Parent Leaders. One Shared Purpose.