Parents

Healthy Families Charlotte serves Charlotte county as part of Healthy Families Florida: a statewide network of nationally accredited home visiting programs for expectant parents and parents of newborns.

Parenting is the most rewarding job a person can have, but it can also be challenging and stressful! Parents voluntarily participate in Healthy Families so they can learn to recognize and respond to their babies’ changing developmental needs, use positive discipline techniques, cope with the day-to-day stress of parenting in healthy ways, and set and achieve short and long-term goals. The program improves childhood outcomes and equips parents with the knowledge and skills they need to create safe, stable and nurturing home environments.

Along with Healthy Families Sarasota and Healthy Families Desoto/Hardee, Healthy Families Charlotte operates through The Florida Center for Early Childhood to serve approximately 800 families each year.

Charlotte County Healthy Start Coalition’s mission is “to improve birth outcomes and optimize child growth and development through community partnerships that nurture women and families.” 

Services include:

• Care Coordination: Healthy Start Care Coordinators, who are contracted through Charlotte Behavioral Health Care, assess a mother’s needs and provide referrals to services, information about pregnancy and childcare, and emotional support. Coordinators also assist with Medicaid applications. 
• Parenting Education: Parents are provided with free classes that offer child development information, parenting guidelines, and child management strategies. 
• Breastfeeding Education/WIC: Expectant mothers receive education about breastfeeding, healthy eating habits, and nutrition supplements. 
• IPO Services: IPO stands for “Improve Pregnancy Outcomes.” These services include Medicaid screening, pregnancy testing, vitamin supplements, and educational pamphlets. 
• Smoking Cessation: Healthy Start offers smoking cessation programs to help pregnant moms stop smoking and to avoid second-hand smoke. 

The mission of the Early Learning Coalition of Florida’s Heartland is “support families and children in accessing high quality early care and education services via School Readiness and Voluntary Prekindergarten programs. The ELCFH also serves as a point of contact to resources and referrals for health care and family support services.”

Services provided include:

• School Readiness Program: Qualified families can receive financial assistance for early education and child care. 
• VPK Education Program: A free program to prepare 4-year-old Floridians for kindergarten. 
• Child Care Resource and Referral: A free statewide network with updated information about childcare options in Florida. 

Charlotte County Imagination Library provides a free book a month to children from birth to the age of 5, thereby building their own library before kindergarten. All children in Charlotte County are eligible to receive the free books by enrolling online. 

Charlotte County Imagination Library is an affiliate of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which began in 1996 in Tennessee, and has since helped more than 1.5 million kids in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

Drug Free Charlotte County, which serves as the lead for the Kids Thrive Collaborative, formed in 2003 after data from the 2000 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey revealed that Charlotte County had one of the highest rates of underage alcohol use in the state.

Its mission is “prevent addiction through community awareness, education, and strong partnerships.” Drug Free Charlotte County is known for partnering with students, parents, business owners, school leaders, law enforcement, and community members to build a strong, united front in the fight against substance abuse in Charlotte County.