Region-wide Partner Training Opportunity!

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN for the Resilient Retreat Trauma Informed Care trainings, sponsored by First 1000 Days Suncoast, click here to register! Join us virtually from the comfort of your own office/home, for an hour once a month, to learn more about ways to help support families in our community while also taking care of yourself.

There will be two tracks, clinical and non-clinical, and two opportunities to attend each training series. The first series, beginning October 12th, is non-clinical. Non-clinical includes any professionals that are not licensed mental health or healthcare providers, community volunteers, or parents in the community. See below for the calendar of events.

Again a HUGE thank you to Laura Josephson, Christina Russi, Jennifer Carey, and Mandy O’Malley for coordinating this incredible opportunity for our partners.

**The clinical series will start January 2022 in the evenings. We are planning to offer free continuing education credits to healthcare and mental health professionals.

Forever Grateful!

To all of the physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, respiratory therapists, technicians, police officers, EMTs, custodial staff, epidemiologists, DOH employees, support staff of any kind THANK YOU! During this unprecedented time, these heroes are working tirelessly to take care of loved ones, neighbors, and friends.

Partner Spotlight

In this month’s spotlight, we want to highlight the collaborative efforts of two special partner organizations: Forty Carrots Family Center and Sarasota County Libraries

Michelle Kapreillien, CEO of Forty Carrots Family Center, was instrumental to the launch of the initiative 3 years ago. She has led workgroups and is currently the chair of the initiative’s Steering Committee. Michelle’s energy, passion, and insights have been key to the success of many aspects of the initiative. Carla Johanns is Chief Program Officer at Forty Carrots and co-chair of the Access to Care Workgroup. Carla is a thoughtful and kind leader, her collaborative spirit and soft approach makes her a dynamic team member. Laura Josephson, Parenting Education Director at Forty Carrots, and co-chair of the Professional Development workgroup, continues to be a strong supporter of the initiative. Laura was instrumental in the recommendation for the Resilient Retreat trauma training for community partners. Laura and her team are a go-to resource for community partners and parents who want to know about parenting tips and recommendations. Michelle, Laura, Carla, and the rest of the Forty Carrots team advocate for not only pregnant women, children, and families but also to ensure professionals have the tools and resources they need to help families in kind and compassionate way. Thank you Forty Carrots!

The Sarasota County Library team has worked behind the scenes on many projects within the initiative. Ann Hardy volunteered as a Facilitator for parent focus groups and the Parent Advisory Committee,. Additionally, she has actively participated in the Education and Outreach workgroup for the last several years. Andrea Dictor has been a part of the initiative since its’ inception. She was instrumental in coordinating books for brain development bags at Sarasota Memorial Hospital and also provided key insights while on the Education and Outreach workgroup. Ann and Andrea have also worked with the Sarasota County Librarians and artist Traci Kegerreis to develop fun and interactive parent programming which they plan to roll out once it is deemed safe in the community.

Register for Upcoming Events!

FORTY CARROTS FAMILY CENTER

Forty Carrots has a free upcoming community speaker event on Wednesday, September 22nd from 7-8:30pm. Click here to learn more about the event and register! Please help spread the word to parents in the community by sharing the registration link on your organization’s social media page!

First 1,000 DAYS FLORIDA

Don’t forget to sign-up to attend the 2021 First 1,000 Days Florida Summit! This year the summit will be held virtually on September 23rd from 9am-12pm. The summit will have two great key note speakers; highlight efforts across the state in the zero to three population; and present next steps for the statewide advocacy group! Click here to register.

CHILDRENS MOVEMENT OF FLORIDA

On Wednesday morning, September 8, The Children’s Movement of Florida is convening their 2nd annual Built to Thrive virtual summit. Join us to hear from Florida business leaders, legislators, and champions for early childhood—with a special feature on child care in the news, plus a keynote on centering equity in our approach to kindergarten readiness. Register today!

Update on Substance Use Disorder in the Pregnant Patient and Substance Exposed Neonate

SAVE THE DATE for the fourth annual Healthy Start Sarasota regional summit on Tuesday, November 2nd from 7:30am-5PM

Calls-to-Action

We welcome you to be a part of our work to build a safe, healthy, caring and culturally sensitive community that supports families and helps newborns thrive and children to achieve their potential. It is with access to diverse experts, parents with lived experience, and a collaborative effort, that solutions will continue to be made to improve the system of care for pregnant women and families with young children. Partnerships are key to innovation and we believe you can help! See below for ways to get involved:

Share the Sarasota County Prenatal Care Survey on your social media page so we can learn about the barriers pregnant women face in accessing care in our community. Click here to access the link. There will be $20 gift cards given to five lucky winners.
Sign-up for the monthly newsletters and/or join a community workgroup by e-mailing first1000days@smh.com
Schedule a Meet and Greet with the First 1,000 Days team by clicking here.
Join Unite Us! To attend an information session, click here and/or e-mail our Unite Florida Community Engagement Manager, Stephanie Harris, at stephanie.harris@uniteus.com
Print First 1,000 Days fliers by clicking here and provide to all pregnant women and families with young children.
“Like” and “follow” the First 1,000 Days Suncoast Facebook and Instagram Pages and share relevant content on your organization’s page.

Building a Caring Community