Great We Grow: Support to Grow Up Great in Town N Country

A group of people pose for a picture. They are holding children's books.

Last month, mothers-to-be and parents of newborns were showered with gifts, hope, and resources at Champions for Children’s Great We Grow community baby shower. The event was hosted in Town N Country Park.

This was the program’s first time hosting a community baby shower. Lisa Elliott, Great We Grow’s program manager, said she was happily surprised at the attendance. With 30 families registered, the community baby shower welcomed 47 guests, with 24 new moms, and moms-to-be.

“We want our community to know that we are here to offer the support and services that families need to ensure their children get off to the right start that will help them be developmentally on track and ready to succeed in school,” said Elliott.

Great We Grow is a Champions for Children program that offers bilingual early childhood support to the families of Town N County who have children from birth to age five. Bilingual child development specialists offer free educational playgroups, developmental screenings, and community activities in English and in Spanish.

During the event, partner agencies offered insight and access to resources for families within the community. Some of the partners included Early Head Start; Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County; Cove Behavorial Health; Reach Up; Florida Healthy Start; WIC; and Champions for Children programs such as The ABC Program and Baby Cafe, Parents as Teachers, FRANC (fatherhood resources), and Great we Grow. The participating agencies are a part of the Town N Country Community Collaborative, a group of local non-profit organizations that meets monthly to explore resources for Town N Country families and outreach opportunities.

In addition to offering veteran and first-time moms with resources, the event was also designed to register new families into the six-week What You Do Matters course at Great We Grow in Town N Country. The curriculum helps parents learn how to guide their child towards meeting developmental milestones that will help prepare them for kindergarten. (The course is also offered in Pinellas County. Visit cfctb.org/pinellas.)

One attendee said she was thankful for some of the services offered to include transportation, support services for fathers, and breastfeeding support services.

To learn more about Great We Grow, visit cfctb.org/programs.