Help Your Child Bloom With First 1,000 Days Suncoast

March 30, 2022 – Sarasota

First 10O0 Days Suncoast launches its campaign, Plant, Grow, Bloom!, to raise awareness  about the initiative and tools available to families including: The Basics free text messaging service and a family resource navigation program to connect families with social, medical, and mental health services. These resources are free to mothers and caregivers, regardless of income, and are available to achieve its mission to improve access and coordination of services for families and babies. Using its 85 regional partner agencies, the initiative will have interactive programming and a social media campaign over the next several months.

“The first 1000 days of life are the most critical because it is within this timeframe when a baby’s social, behavioral and cognitive skills are blooming,” said Initiative Manager, Dr. Chelsea Arnold. “Plant. Grow. Bloom! is a fun way to show the parallels between putting in the time, effort and patience into growing a plant with fostering a child’s brain development. Research has shown that it only takes one supportive adult in a child’s life to foster resilience. For families who face much adversity, this bond between caregiver and child is even more crucial” 

First 1000 Days Suncoast is a regional initiative that aims to spread awareness, education and provide resources to improve baby brain development within the first 1000 days. One of its initiatives is The Basics text message program, where parents can sign-up to receive text messages twice weekly that include brain-boosting activities for their child. These free exercises are based on five evidence-based parenting principles:

• maximize love and manage stress
• talk, sing and point
• count, group and compare
• explore through movement and play 
• read and discuss stories

These principles create a strong foundation in early childhood so they are ready to learn, thrive and bloom. First 1000 Days Suncoast believes that every child deserves the opportunity for growth and development, no matter the circumstance. They are able to provide resources and connect with caregivers through the Unite Us electronic referral system. For those living in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto Counties that are pregnant or have a child 3-years-old or younger, Unite Us is the vehicle used to connect to free or low-cost services for prenatal or medical care, food, parenting education, housing and utility support, mental health counseling, addiction recovery, early childhood education, and more. After filling out a confidential form, caregivers are matched with a staff member from First 1000 Days Suncoast within two business days. 

To launch the campaign, Siena Kelley, Community Support Specialist and Tina Wilson, Family Navigator, have distributed “grow” kits with herbs to regional home visiting programs, child care centers, and other organizations that serve young families. They are also partnering with various non-profit agencies to do unique programming and events.

First 1,000 Days Suncoast invites the community to participate in the fun campaign to increase awareness about support available to families and celebrate children and nature across the region.

1. Follow us on Instagram or Facebook @First1000DaysSuncoast

2. Post a picture of your child, grandchild, and/or family planting or gardening on social media

3. Tag First 1000 Days Suncoast and use hashtag #PlantGrowBloom

For more information, visit First1000DaysSuncoast.com.