Education Matters | Forty Carrots Family Center Celebrates 30 Years of Helping Children & Parents

By Tom Reese | November 2023

In 1993, Betsy Kane-Hartnett and Diane Weiss set out on a journey to share their knowledge of parenting education and early childhood education with their local community. Thirty years later, Forty Carrots has become a pivotal resource for families, now including mental health services in Sarasota and Manatee counties, reaching over 6,000 clients in the last calendar year with the hopes of significantly doubling that number as construction of its third campus building nears completion. 

LAUNCHING A DREAM 

The origin of Forty Carrots Family Center began just as Kane-Hartnett and Weiss were about to celebrate their 40th birthdays. They had always dreamed of combining their talents and expertise to create a nonprofit organization with the goal of giving back to their community and helping families raise their children by preventing possible instances of abuse or neglect. They believed they could make a massive impact, and they have. 

“Back then we didn’t know what a business plan was,” says Kane-Hartnett. “Our board was made up of family and friends. When we chose our staff, we chose people who would become part of our family.”

Forty Carrots’ mission has stayed the same over the years: nurture healthy child and family development through research-based, relationship-centered education and mental health services. Their underlying goal is preventing abuse, neglect, and childhood trauma, while also intervening and providing treatment for both the parents and children. 

“We knew that if we wanted to make a real difference in our families’ lives, and ultimately throughout our community, we had to provide parents with support and necessary tools to be successful from the beginning,” says Weiss. “Those first five years are the most critical. Nearly 40 percent of children abused or neglected in our country are five years of age or younger, with the greatest risk being in the first year of life.”

Through 1,533 free community outreach groups at 30 different community partner locations, Forty Carrots provided services for thousands in its 2022-2023 program year. The most impressive statistic is that 96% of families received these services absolutely free of any cost through scholarships and financial aid assistance programs. 

“One of our core goals is to serve everyone without barriers, especially financial barriers,” says Michelle Kapreilian, CEO of Forty Carrots. “We want to make sure that everyone has access to what we have to offer.”

EDUCATING CHILDREN AND PARENTS

When Forty Carrots first launched thirty years ago, it started  with two programs: an advanced preschool for early childhood education, as well as parenting education. Its preschool has a national accreditation with the National Association for the Education of Young Children, which puts them into strict ratios of children to teachers. This ensures each child quality time with the staff for advanced development. The teachers all have degrees and are specially trained to work with children from ages two to four. The standards Forty Carrots sets for its preschool are much further beyond the requirement of the state of Florida, which makes it very desirable and in high demand for all families in the region. 

“More learning is done for children in infancy, toddler, and preschool ages than at any other point in your life,” says Carla Johanns, Chief Program Officer. “You are truly learning all about your environment and building relationship skills. That is why we do this and have relationships with these families.” 

The backbone of Forty Carrots is its Parenting Education program, which works with parents to strengthen their relationships with their children. This includes face-to-face meetings with over 5,000 clients on a yearly basis. Forty Carrots reach these families by physically traveling to them and setting up classes at their community outreach partners’ facilities. These locations include public libraries and schools, as well as other charitable organizations such as Lightshare Behavioral Wellness and Recovery, , Harvest House, The Salvation Army, and several others. 

One example of a parenting education class would be a play-based group . In different community locations, parents and their children gather on play mats to play together and strengthen their attachment and bond.. Specialized parenting educators are present to observe and intervene when necessary and answer any parents’ questions.

Private parenting consultations are also available for face-to-face meetings, Zoom meetings, or phone calls. This allows parents to ask questions that might not be appropriate to discuss in front of their children during play sessions or other encounters. Sometimes these conversations result in a handoff to Forty Carrots’ mental health professionals. 

INTERVENTION THROUGH MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

As Forty Carrots continued to expand, the need for forms of intervention became glaringly apparent, and it now offers advanced mental health services available for both children and parents. 

“We had a couple of parenting educators, who were also social workers at the time, who wanted to dig a little deeper with the families that were really struggling,” said Johanns. “We started out of a closet, only serving a handful of clients each year. Now we provide mental health programs for hundreds of families.”

Many of the people they serve are pregnant and postpartum mothers, but the program also services children into their young adult years. Postpartum depression in mothers, and in some cases fathers, can drastically affect a young child’s development. Connecting with children through attachment is vital for relationship growth, and it is very difficult for mothers struggling with postpartum depression to form those connections with their children. Forty Carrots provides therapy and group work for families dealing with this problem. 

$10M EXPANSION CAMPAIGN 

In 2017, Forty Carrots realized the drastic need for more mental health and parenting education services and more space to conduct its programs and it began an expansion campaign. Last year, over 600 families were turned away because of the increased demand and lack of resources available. Its expansion campaign included a brand new 6,900 square foot state-of-the-art mental health center with six therapy rooms, parenting center, and offices to accommodate growth and staff. The new facility is expected to be up and running in the early months of 2024. 

“This new building is just the vehicle for us to continue our work in parenting education and mental health services,” says Kapreilian. “We expect a 100% increase in mental health sessions over the next five years.”

The projected cost of this expansion campaign is $10 million, with about $8.75 million already raised. While donations through Forty Carrots’ website and physical locations are always accepted, a large portion of this money is raised through charitable fundraisers. 

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

Forty Carrots’ next fundraising event is the very popular Wine, Women & Shoes—a three-day event which directly supports Forty Carrots. The main event will be held November 17, 2023 at The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota. Guests sip delectable wines while shopping in a specially curated marketplace. This includes lunch with friends, an entertaining fashion show, and dancing in the champagne lounge. 

“We really do want to change the world and our community,” says Kapreilian. “We know that our programs are making an impact, and we need more ambassadors to spread the word, as well as financial contributions. If you know any new parents, send them our way. We want to help them.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION on Forty Carrots, please visit fortycarrots.org.

FOR MORE INFORMATION Wine, Women & Shoes, please visit www.winewomenandshoes.com/event/fortycarrots