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December Milestone Report

First Things First

In this issue, we highlight…

New Associate Director: Kasandra Tenbarge joins the First Things First Porter County team.
Strategic Planning: Together with our community partners, we've charted the course for the next three years of FTF, including a new vision statement.
Strosacker Early Learning Fellows: Regional community leaders are sent out to NWI as "Early Learning Accomplices" -- using their influence to advocate for quality early learning experiences.

GROW WITH FTF

Looking toward a future of sustainability, Kasandra (Kasie) Tenbarge has joined First Things First Porter County as Associate Director. A Northwest Indiana native, Kasie brings years of non-profit development experience and fundraising expertise to the team. Community partners can expect to hear from Kasie as she continues to learn about the First Things First collaborative.

Meet Kasie

DID YOU KNOW?

IN THE LOOP

Looking Toward to Our Future

With the help of our community, FTF spent the past few months undergoing a Strategic Visioning process with the goal of developing a plan that allows us to continue making a meaningful, long-term impact in Porter County.

Between interviews with 40 community stakeholders, strategic planning sessions alongside over 30 partners, and meetings with the FTF Advisory Board, we are proud to announce our vision statement:

Empowering the community to ensure every child has a healthy, thriving start to life through a seamless connection with the prenatal to 3 ecosystem that prioritizes brain development, language, and early relational health.

See the Strategic Plan

This vision guides our newly-formed strategic plan that is based on three key themes: Enhancing FTF’s Identity as an Incubator and Connector, Increasing Communication and Visibility, Ensuring the Needed Capacity and Resources. Working from these themes, FTF aims to accomplish its goals by identifying and solidifying partnerships, fostering continued collaboration, highlighting partner organizations and their work, and fostering mutually beneficial activities in the PN-3 community members in Porter County, among other objectives.

First Things First Porter County is only as strong as its partners, and this vision could not have been formed without you. We look forward to the work ahead and the key roles our community will play in accomplishing our goals. To view the Strategic Plan in its entirety, visit www.firstthingspc.org/ourstory

Read the latest from our blog to know what our friends are saying about the importance of building a collaborative of community partners who are committed to creating a rich system of care, support and services.

Read Now

New Early Learning Advocates Across the Region

Our latest cohort of Strosacker Early Learning Fellows have graduated! Sixteen community and business leaders across a variety of industries and roles from The Region met over four sessions to become better advocates in promoting high quality early childhood experiences. Hear from Allen Grecula of Three20 Recovery about how his team will use this new knowledge to create the "Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies" campaign with other community partners.

BRAINWAVES

Let's learn together! Here are some recommendations from our team and the collaborative:

Inclusive Learning Environments for Infants and Toddlers

Head Start Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center has made available a webinar to provide strategies for creating spaces at home and in the center that support learning and ensure full participation.

Watch & Learn

Turn Your Home into a Nurturing Literacy Environment

It doesn't have to be daunting! Ashley McCl ure, Books on Break Expansion Manager at Book H arvest in Durham, NC, lists practical tips for best utilizing your home as a nurturing literacy environment.