The first three years of a child’s life lays the foundation for lifelong learning. How can we help ensure that our children are being properly cared for and educated, with all of the necessary resources to do so? On October 15th the South Tampa Chamber of Commerce had its Education Committee meeting, with guest speaker Gerrit Van Lent, the Outreach and Engagement Coordinator at The Children’s Movement of Florida. Gerritt informed members of the Bosses for Babies initiative, and how they can get involved.
The Children’s Movement of Florida is a non-profit organization, with the goal of gaining proper health, education, and parent support for children in the community. The Bosses for Babies Initiative was created to address a disruption between employers and childcare. This initiative helps put families on the right track, by helping employers learn how to be a family-friendly businesses, adopt policies, and support business leaders, with a close attention to Paid-Time-Off and Maternity Leave for mothers. Business owners are helped on an individual basis, and at the rate they are comfortable with.
A recent partnership with the Florida Chamber of Commerce has enforced the need to focus on kindergarten readiness. At the moment, roughly 50% of students are kindergarten ready, which is a huge concern for teachers, and the future of the community. The factors that play into being k-ready are birth outcomes, access to healthcare, early intervention, and parent resources. The Bosses for Babies Initiative has been working to improve these numbers, and with the help of the Florida Chamber, the future looks bright for children who are beginning their education in the school system.
Signing on to the Bosses for Babies Campaign connects business owners to like-minded organizations, highlights what business owners are doing to be family-friendly in the community, and gives tools to educate on how to impact early childhood. To learn more about the great things Bosses for Babies has been doing for the community and to see how you can get involved, visit: http://bossesforbabies.com/.
