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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.
January 31, 2019
October 9, 2018 – Sertoma Club of Greater Sarasota and the Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida, located in New Port Richey, recently held a ribbon-cutting event at Children First to launch a new mobile audiology service for children from low-income families living in the area.
Part of an effort involving Sertoma clubs from [...]
January 31, 2019
November 30, 2018 – A tough start in life inspires Albert & Norma Cohen to help launch Children First’s Forever Society.
If anyone knows how crucial it is to get a good start in life when born into challenging circumstances, it’s Albert H. Cohen. The retired CEO, who had a highly successful career leading large [...]
January 31, 2019
January 2nd, 2019 – Like so many area residents, Frank and Katherine Martucci started off as Sarasota snowbirds. “We rented here for one month out of the year,” reports Katherine. Then it was two months. And in 2017, she explains that “we found we were spending more and more time here. We felt like [...]
January 31, 2019
January 16, 2019 – Long-time Children First supporter and former Chairwoman of the Board, Jo Rutstein, was honored at the National Council of Jewish Women “Women in Power” luncheon on January 16th. Jo was one of four honorees selected by the organization for her social justice work improving the lives of women, children and [...]
