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Children First Blog
Want to know the latest news?
You'll find it all in the most recent newsletter HERE!
You'll find it all in the most recent newsletter HERE!
February 11, 2020
February 11th, 2020 – By Kelly Ring
Every morning, you can find Eliezer and Wendy Rivera walking their daughter Sophia to class at the Dr. Elaine Marieb Early Learning Center in Sarasota.
“They teach them really good,” said Wendy. “They learn a lot of stuff.”
They are taking part in Children First. The program’s mission is to [...]
February 3, 2020
January 19th, 2020 – Children First, Inc., the exclusive provider of Head Start and Early Head Start services in Sarasota County, is excited to welcome the new slate of board leadership for 2020. Lisa Giglio is the former co-owner of Freedom Boat Club, and has served as an early childhood educator and Director of Education [...]
January 22, 2020
Children First, Inc., the exclusive provider of Head Start and Early Head Start services in Sarasota County, is excited to welcome the new slate of board leadership for 2020. Lisa Giglio is the former co-owner of Freedom Boat Club, and has served as an early childhood educator and Director of Education at Sylvan Learning Center. [...]
January 13, 2020
January 13th, 2020 – Tampa, FL — WEDU PBS announced today the finalists for the 2020 WEDU Be More Awards. The fifteenth annual WEDU Be More Awards will take place on Thursday, February 27, 2020 at the Bryan Glazer JCC in Tampa. The annual community event will begin at 11:00 a.m. with the Hall of [...]
December 30, 2019
December 24th, 2019 – Tampa used car dealership Car Credit’s “Corazones de Car Credit” charitable organization has selected Children First, Inc. as its monthly winner for December 2019. Corazones de Car Credit, a program which recognizes Tampa Bay area charitable organizations for helping those newly immigrated to the country, awarded Children First, Inc. $2,000.
Founded in [...]
December 30, 2019
December 20th, 2019 – The Harry Sudakoff Foundation has recently awarded $20,000 in support of scholarships to Children First, the exclusive provider of Head Start and Early Head Start services in Sarasota County.
The agency also received $15,000 from the Bernard & Mildred Doyle Charitable Trust, $10,000 from the Evalyn Sadlier Jones Foundation, and $750 from [...]
Facebook Feed
Thank you CBS Tampa Bay for helping spread the word about two important grants we recently received that provide mental health and child safety support to our agency. We are grateful to the Community Foundation of Sarasota County for this incredible support of our children, families, staff, and mission.
tampa.cbslocal.com
The Community Foundation of Sarasota County has provided Children First with a $30,000 Equity and Access Grant supporting access to mental health care for Sarasota County’s most vulnerable young chi...
The #StaffSpotlight is on Jane Shaw, Early Learning Inclusion Coordinator as she shares her thoughts about working at Children First!![]()
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In her role, Jane works with children and families to ensure every child receives the services they need and assists classroom teachers with a child’s accommodations or modifications for learning success. She is truly a ray of sunshine and always has a smile to spare!
At Children First, there are many things we are thankful for: our children and families we serve, our committed staff, dedicated volunteers, and amazing supporters just like you, who make our mission possible each day. ![]()
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From our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!
Our #StaffSpotlight is on Bonnie Eskell, Early Learning Inclusion Coordinator!![]()
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Bonnie worked previously as an Early Childhood Development Specialist, helping to run daily operations at 4 Children First locations. She recently earned her M.S. in Psychology with a concentration in Child and Adolescent Development from Capella University and joined our Comprehensive Services Team as an Inclusion Coordinator, where she works to support children and families in receiving the individualized services needed for success, both in school and in life.
Our #StaffSpotlight is on Miss Connie Vermette, lead teacher in the Red Crayon Classroom at our Dr. Marieb Early Learning Center!![]()
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Miss Connie has been with Children First for nearly 18 years and can always be counted on for a smile or helping hand. She is known for her positive, can-do attitude and can be found creating incredible memories with children both in the classroom and on the playground.
May 26, 2018
Children First staff recently attended a two-day Health Care Institute (HCI) that was hosted by the UCLA Anderson School of Business and the National Center on Early Childhood Health and Wellness. HCI is designed to assist grantees in improving the health of their staff, families, and children, while strengthening the communities in which they work. Participation in [...]
July 18, 2018
Just in time for the HotelPlanner Sarasota Powerboat Grand Prix Festival Kickoff, Powerboat P1 CEO, Azam Rangoonwala and Scott Free Racing team member Kim Kildahl paid a special visit to some of our preschoolers! They read to the children and taught them about boats before heading outside to see Scott free Racing’s Boatfloater powerboat.
This was [...]
October 8, 2018
As of mid-day on Monday, October 8 Sarasota County is NOT under a hurricane or tropical storm watch or warning.
Children First’s policy is to follow the Sarasota County School’s closure schedule.
If the Sarasota County Schools close, Children First closes all of its sites.
If there is localized flooding, Children First may close sites on a site [...]
March 7, 2019
Children First was honored to be recognized as the 2019 Nonprofit of the Year at the 14th annual WEDU Be More Awards. As recipient of the Be More Unstoppable Award, Children First was chosen from a field of the Tampa Bay area’s most esteemed organizations. WEDU notes that the award is the most coveted and [...]