If you want a child’s mind to grow, you must first plant a seed…Thank you to First 1,000 Days partners for setting the foundation and providing the “soil” to help babies blossom into resilient, healthy, and happy children and adults. In this month’s newsletter we will share updates about the initiative, information about how to participate in the Plant, Grow, Bloom campaign, and spotlight community partners.

Plant, Grow, Bloom Campaign

First 1,000 Days is excited to announce the upcoming launch of the Plant, Grow, Bloom campaign on March 20th, the first day of spring!

Providing a supportive and nurturing environment to a child has a significant effect on their resilience, growth, health, and ability to overcome adversities. Just like plants, babies respond to even the smallest amounts of attention, love, and care. Our goal is to spread awareness about how critical the first few years of a child’s life are and offer the necessary tools to ensure all children are capable of thriving.

By providing families with supplies and seeds such as herbs or flowers, we aim to increase knowledge on brain development through the activities of planting a seed, nurturing it in order to help it grow, and experiencing how it blooms and flourishes. See below for ways to get involved:

First 1,000 Days is calling upon all of our partner organizations throughout the region to join our social media movement! Simply share content from the First 1,000 Days Suncoast Page or utilize our social media toolkit to post inspiring and informational content to promote the vision behind Plant, Grow, Bloom. Send an e-mail to siena-kelley@smh.com if you are interested in participating and would like access to the toolkit.
We also encourage partner organizations to come up with something creative within their own agency and tag us on social media, @First1000DaysSuncoast and use #PlantGrowBloom. Some suggestions to spark ideas include: decorating a door in your office, having a gardening party with co-workers, or encouraging some of your families to paint some nature-themed art work!
For more information, please visit our Plant, Grow, Bloom page by following this link! https://www.first1000dayssuncoast.org/plant-grow-bloom

Partner Spotlight

A special thank you to Nan Morgan, chair of the Education and Outreach Workgroup. During her term as chair, Nan guided the strategy for two big campaigns to promote the initiative: Color the Community and Plant, Grow, Bloom. We are thankful for her innovative strategies to keep the workgroup engaged and energized and her knack for making all parents and professionals feel welcomed and appreciated. Nan has been a delight to work with and learn from.

The Education and Outreach Workgroup will be placed on hold during the Plant, Grow, Bloom Campaign while we look to incorporate all of the creative ideas brought forth from the group! Thank you to all participants for your time and energy to ensure this campaign is successful.

Save The Date For Full Partner Meeting!

Join us for a virtual First 1,000 Days Suncoast Full Partner meeting on April 18th from 10:30am-12pm. During the meeting we will briefly highlight initiative successes, share results of the Annual Partner Survey, and provide a powerful presentation on screening and referring for Social Determinants of Health (SDoH). Featured speakers include: First 1,000 Days Suncoast Steering Committee chair Dr. Kameron Hodgens, Mary O’Connor with Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, Dr. Washington Hill with CenterPlace Health, and Stephanie Harris with Unite Us. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.

Welcome Back Tina!

First 1,000 Days Suncoast Family Navigator, Tina Wilson, has returned from maternity leave! We are thrilled to have her back and she is excited to engage with more parents and professionals across the region. Over the next year Tina will be meeting with and learning from community partners in Manatee County, building up our regional Parent Advisory Committee, and supporting the Plant, Grow, Bloom campaign. If you represent an organization in Manatee County and have not had the pleasure of meeting with Tina yet, please send her an e-mail at tina-wilson@smh.com.

Compassion Fatigue & Building Resilience through Self-Care

Sign up for the last webinar in the Trauma Informed Care series presented by Resilient Retreat on Wednesday March 23rd from 6-7pm. Physicians, Nurses, Social Workers, Therapists, Pharmacists, and PAs are all eligible for 1.0 continuing education credit. CLICK HERE to register.

Calls-To-Action

CLICK HERE to register for the First 1,000 Days Full Partner Webinar on April 18th from 10:30am-12pm.
Join Unite Us to send medical, mental health, and social service referrals. CLICK HERE to learn more.
Share Plant, Grow, Bloom content from First 1,000 Days Suncoast’s Facebook and Instagram pages on your organization’s social media starting March 20th!
E-mail us about any upcoming events First 1,000 Days can participate in as a vendor!

Help us Plant A Seed!