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Children First Blog

February 16, 2023

Children First Parent, CEO Honored for Statewide Impact

Children First, Inc., the exclusive provider of Head Start and Early Head Start services for Sarasota County, is proud to announce that parent and Policy Council Liaison Maria Somera and CEO Philip Tavill have been honored by the Florida Head Start Association (FHSA) for their impact in elevating excellence in Florida’s Head Start Community. Representing nearly [...]
February 2, 2023

VP of Programs Kathleen Sullivan Named to National Head Start Association Region IV Board of Directors

Kathleen Sullivan, MACD, the Vice President of Programs at Children First, has been elected to serve on the National Head Start Association’s (NHSA) Region IV Board of Directors. In her role, Ms. Sullivan will help to oversee Head Start’s Region IV, the southeastern United States, representing more than 170,000 children, 40,000 staff and 300 [...]
February 1, 2023

Children First Names New Board Leadership and Directors for 2023

We are proud to announce our slate of board leadership for 2023, and the addition of three new directors! At our agency’s annual board reception on January 24, the Reverend Brock H. Leach was formally welcomed as Board Chair. Keith G. Johnson, VP at Truist Private Wealth, was welcomed as Vice Chair, Elizabeth [...]
October 20, 2022

A Legacy of Love: Stephanie & Allen Hochfelder

As a supporter of Children First, you help us to provide high-quality early childhood education and family strengthening services to the most vulnerable children and families in our community. We invite you to safeguard our life-changing programs for generations to come by joining our Legacy Society –Children First Forever – by notifying us of your [...]
October 12, 2022

Areli’s Journey

Areli Gervacio, who now works as the receptionist at the Children First Orange Avenue campus, came here from Mexico in 2000, when she was only 15 years old. She and her sister joined her parents who had moved here four years earlier. The young mother of five children, now ranging in age from 2-18, has [...]
September 30, 2022

Hurricane Ian Update: September 30, 2022

EDITED: October 3, 2022 September 30, 2022   Dear Children First Family, We hope this communication finds you and your loved ones safe and well. In accordance with Sarasota County School District’s announcement today, Children First will continue to be closed through Monday, October 3 and until further notice so that we can support everyone directly impacted by Hurricane [...]
December 14, 2016

Nurturing the whole child – body and brain

At Children First, our work goes well beyond child care: the education and nurturing environment that we provide actually impact the brain development of our children. Our teachers and volunteers, in partnership with parents and caregivers, help our students to gain the cognitive, social and emotional skills they need to succeed in kindergarten, college and [...]
February 27, 2017

Our volunteers are crucial to literacy efforts

Numerous studies assert that children in families with incomes below the poverty line are less likely to be read to every day than are children in families with incomes at or above poverty. Due to a combination of factors related to income disparity, by the time children are 5 years old, the ones in poorer [...]
May 9, 2017

Celebrating Mother’s Day

  Maybe she helped you learn to ride a bike and comforted you when you fell, or read your favorite book aloud, over and over again…  Perhaps she nursed you when you were sick and cooked chicken noodle soup…  Maybe it was her advice that got you through a tough time in school, in work, [...]
May 31, 2017

Children First Celebrates Head Start’s 52nd Birthday with Community Reading Party

Sarasota, FL – Head Start celebrated its 52nd birthday with community reading parties at Head Start programs around the nation.  Children First joined in the fun to raise awareness of the incredible impact and importance of Head Start.  Former Sarasota Mayor and current Commissioner Willie Charles Shaw joined the party on May 16th at Children First [...]