First 1,000 Days Suncoast Presented At The Premier Breakthroughs Conference

First 1,000 Days Suncoast Initiative Manager Dr. Chelsea Arnold and Mary O’Connor, Community Outreach Manager for Sarasota Memorial Health Care System Women & Children's Services, represented First 1,000 Days Suncoast and Sarasota Memorial Health Care System by speaking at the Premier Breakthroughs: A Premier Inc. Conference Experience in July.

Highlights of their presentation included:

The power of collective feedback, including the vision of the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation and many other foundational leaders for spearheading First 1,000 Days Suncoast’s initiative and having Sarasota County Memorial Health Care System as the organizational backbone.

The initiative’s three components, the activities and interventions in each, and their outcomes.

The importance of having parent leaders as co-creators when building sustainable and effective strategies and programs.

Partnering with Unite Us to create a more seamless referral process as well as providing informative data to address inequities, fill gaps in services, and more.

Welcome Tonya Wallace, Family Navigator

Tonya Wallace has been hired by Links 2 Success to serve as the Family Navigator who will respond to First 1000 Days’ Assistance Requests for DeSoto County families.

In her role, Wallace will guide and connect DeSoto families to a range of healthcare, childcare, and social-service resources to support their newborns and young children during the critical years of early childhood development. Her role is key to further expanding the services of the successful First 1,000 Days Suncoast initiative, which is housed within Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, to meet the particular needs of the DeSoto County community.

The position will lean on and leverage the proven referral model and vast resource network that the First 1,000 Days Suncoast initiative has built. While First 1,000 Days had expanded outreach to DeSoto County prior to this new role, it became clear that the community’s particular needs and geography require more attention and staff dedicated to DeSoto families.

Wallace brings an impressive professional background and long history of service and collaboration in DeSoto County to her new role. Most recently, she worked with DeSoto County children and their families as the children’s library manager for the DeSoto County Public Library. Prior to that, she spent 22 years as an elementary school educator for the School District of Desoto County.



DeSoto County mothers who are pregnant or families raising a young child may complete the assistance-request form available on the First 1,000 Days Suncoast website to get connected with Wallace for help.

Child Welfare Landscape & Impact Assessment

First 1000 Days Suncoast met with the Family Safety Alliance, a group of professionals committed to improving child welfare prevention and intervention strategies in Florida’s 12th Judicial Circuit. Members reviewed results of a draft Landscape and Impact Matrix that outlines resources and barriers affecting First 1,000 Days Suncoast’s long-term indicator of child removal rates. 



It was a great, informative discussion and we are truly appreciative of their passion and willingness to share their knowledge. If you would like to add to the Matrix, please email First1000Days@smh.com or call Janice Houchins at 941-780-2348. 

On-going conversations with community partners will be held to continue building collective understanding of our system of care and how we can work together on solutions.

Click Here to download the Child Welfare Landscape & Impact Assessment!

First 1000 Days Suncoast to Present at Florida’s Inaugural Prevention Convention

The Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida and Prevent Child Abuse Florida are partnering with The Florida Center for Early Childhood to co-host the Prevention Convention, in Kissimmee on Sept. 12-13. 

The theme of the conference is inter-system collaboration, building protective factors and preventing child abuse and neglect. Kimberly Treharne, Chief Program Officer at the Florida Center recognized the work of First 1000 Days as "perfectly aligning with the theme of the conference" and extended an invitation for us to present. 

Janice Houchins, Initiative Coordinator will present “First 1000 Days Suncoast: A Tri-County Initiative Leveraging Community Relationships, Parent Voice and Technology to Strengthen Systems of Care and Build Protective Factors”. The presentation will delve into the critical role that collaborative partnerships play in enhancing family well-being and share practical strategies for building and maintaining strong community relationships.

It will also highlight the value of incorporating parent voices and how to leverage their lived experiences to shape effective support strategies. Additionally, attendees will discover methods for gauging progress and measuring the impact of service delivery, ensuring continuous improvement and positive outcomes for families.

Workshop objectives include:

• Participants will recognize the critical role that collaborative partnerships play in supporting family well-being.
• Participants will learn strategies for building strong community relationships to enhance family support networks.
• Participants will learn methods to effectively incorporate the voice of parents, leveraging their lived experiences to shape and guide strategies.
• Participants will learn ways to gauge progress and measure impact of service delivery.
• Register at Ounce.org or by clicking here.  

First 1,000 Days Suncoast is proud to partner with the Florida Center for Early Childhood to shine a light on the dangers of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). This disease can have lifelong impacts on the physical, behavioral, mental, emotional and learning capabilities of children. We urge the entire community to learn as much as they can about FASD, because we are the first lines of defense to combat these dangers.



Our mission at First 1,000 Days is to focus on the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, when 80 percent of brain development takes place. We rely on partnerships like the one we have with the Florida Center, and together, a long with your help, we can help to improve the odd of our future generations’ success.

First 1000 Days to Speak at 6th Annual Regional Summit

Dr. Chelsea Arnold will be speaking with Mary O'Connor, Manager of Community Outreach for Women and Child Services at SMH, at the Sixth Annual Regional Summit: Substance Use Disorders and Pregnancy on October 15th. Presenting their topic, Creating a NO wrong door approach to care: Screening and addressing Social Determinants of Health. 

For tickets and information click here

First 1000 Days Welcomes New Steering Committee Members

First 1,000 Days Suncoast has welcomed six new community leaders to their Steering Committee.

First 1,000 Days Suncoast helps families during pregnancy and their child’s first 1,000 days of life, when 80 percent of child brain development occurs. Partnerships with more than 90 nonprofit organizations and health care providers creates a seamless network of free and affordable services to give families the support they need to ensure every child has a strong start in life.

The Steering Committee’s goals include enhancing community engagement and awareness of First 1,000 Days Suncoast and providing guidance for both long and short-term goals. This ensures First 1,000 Days Suncoast programs are developed in coordination with region-wide health policy and planning efforts.

The new committee members are:

• Carla Johanns, Chief Program Officer, Forty Carrots Family Center.
• Ashley Coone, Chief Executive Officer, Links to Success.
• Jordan Mayer, Director of Family Services, Harvest House.
• Sara Oleson, Associate Executive Director, Healthy Start Coalition of Sarasota County.
• Jennifer Carey, CEO, Sarasota Medical Pregnancy Center.
• Abby Olsen, Director of Women and Children’s Services, Sarasota Memorial Hospital- Sarasota Campus.

Parent Focus Groups Reveal Hopes, Dreams, Challenges and Resource Needs

Family voice is at the heart of our work. Every other year, we conduct parent focus groups to gather essential insights. This year, we partnered with 10 organizations across the tri-county area to host parent focus groups, hearing from over 100 parents. They shared their hopes and dreams for their family, the challenges they face, and the types of resources needed most. These insights help shape our strategies and outreach efforts and can help guide other local and regional efforts.

Click here to review the brief

Voices of Gratitude: Families share their experience with First 1000 Days Family Navigators:

Thank you,

First 1,000 Days Suncoast Team

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!

941-917-7421 | First1000Days@smh.com | First1000DaysSuncoast.org