Children First Blog

April 25, 2023

A Journey Through the Looking Glass

“Thy loving smile will surely hail the love-gift of a fairy tale.” On April 1, the magic of Lewis Carroll’s “Through the Looking Glass,” his sequel to “Alice in Wonderland,” created a festive backdrop for the 23rd Annual Fairytale Ball, hosted by Children First at Michael’s on East. In the words of Alice, “The only way to [...]
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 [...]