Leon County Schools launch 'Littles to Leaders' program for early childhood development
In an effort to improve the development of young children before they hit the schoolhouse, the Leon County School District is introducing the "Littles to Leaders" program in partnership with Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition.
“We are committed to doing everything we can to prepare this diverse population of young people to enter school ready to succeed, because if we can have an impact before they start school, we can spend the time (they) are in our classrooms building upon that foundation and not playing catch-up," LCS Superintendent Rocky Hanna said in a statement released on Wednesday, Sept. 20.
Under the leadership of LCS Director of Early Childhood Programs Brooke Brunner, and Capital Area Healthy Start Executive Director Chris Szorcsik, the initiative will support families with resources and education on the development of children from birth to 5 years old to prepare them for school.
“I'm excited to collaborate with Capital Area Healthy Start in the 'Littles to Leaders' initiative, which recognizes parents as a child's first teacher and focuses on early literacy for Leon County families,” Brunner said in a release. “This effort underscores the vital role of early education in nurturing cognitive, social, and emotional growth from birth. Our partnership aims to empower parents, educators, and caregivers to create an environment that fosters lifelong learning and curiosity.”
The Capital Area Healthy Start Coalition is a nonprofit organization, founded by then-Gov. Lawton Chiles and First Lady Rhea Chiles in 1991, to connect families with prenatal care and educational resources during pregnancy and after delivery to ensure health child development.
The program's support will start in the hospital at birth, where parents will receive a "brain bag" for their newborn filled with informational resources to support the baby's brain development, and for special cases, a free in-home visiting program.
LCS spokesperson, Chris Petley, said the initiative will be available at both Tallahassee hospitals starting Tuesday, September 26.
“For over 31 years, our coalition has had a mission to improve the health of moms and babies by providing healthy pregnancy education and supporting families with community programs and resources that help with pregnancy and parenting," Szorcsik said. "The home visiting programs in Leon County work to ensure the health and welfare of our children and families by providing education and support."
The program received a financial boost of $150,000 from Simply Health Care, a health insurance company based in Florida. The contribution helped pay for an exclusive book by local author Heidi King and local illustrator Janae Easton called "Good Morning Tallahassee" which will be included in every "brain bag" for families.
The assistance will also cover the salary of a Connect Family partner from Healthy Start Coalition, and costs of training and instructional materials for the program.
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Alaijah Brown is with the Tallahassee Democrat and can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon school district, Healthy Start Coalition launch Littles to Leaders
