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September Milestone Report

First Things First

In this issue, we highlight…

FTF Team Updates: Laura's new title and Hadassah's next steps.
Seeds of Promise Campaign CONTEST: Mobilize your team to promote Seeds, and a prize could be in your future!
Camp Collaboration Reflections: Celebrating our grant recipients and sharing camp memories from this year.

GROW WITH FTF

Laura Green has been promoted from Outreach Coordinator to Training & Technical Assistance Specialist. As Training and Technical Assistance Specialist, Laura will act as the FTF subject matter expert for early childhood development, best-poised to support community partners in their efforts to strengthen the lives of young children. From offering tangible resources, training and certification opportunities, and specialized knowledge, this new role meets the growing need for customized assistance to Porter County providers. Read more about her new role here.

Hadassah Moore will be welcoming her second child in November, with her final day before leave on Thursday, October 23. In her absence, please direct relevant questions and other communication to info@firstthingspc.org.

DID YOU KNOW?

IN THE LOOP

Seeds of Promise Campaign Contest

We have a BIG GOAL!
We can't achieve it without you;
let's enroll 365 babies in Seeds of Promise by the end of 2025!

Seeds of Promise is a universal, at-birth children’s savings account available to every baby born to a mom in Porter County—no income requirements! Families receive $100 for their child’s future education when they enroll, and for a limited time an additional $50 will be deposited upon opening a 529 account for their child. More details and FAQ can be found at www.firstthingspc.org/savings.

By planting the Seeds of Promise, you help families invest in their baby’s future. As a member of our Early Learning Collaborative, you play a significant role in reaching families as a trusted voice.

Together, we can make Porter County a place that believes in every child’s educational future; where each baby knows their community is rooting for them!

Want a chance to earn an exciting prize for your organization while providing future opportunity to local babies? Join our promotion contest! Here’s how it works:

1. Plant some seeds

Encourage families to claim their baby’s money—clients, employees, friends, community members.

Examples: home visits, health appointments, parent groups, resource fairs, or social media.

2. Report back

Each time you share about Seeds of Promise, let us know on this online form
Submit your qualifying experiences no later than January 13, 2026.

3. Earn entries

Every share you report = 1 contest entry for your organization

Prizes

One winning organization will be drawn at random on January 14, 2026. Choose from one of four prizes:

Coffee truck visit at your site
Pizza party for your team
$500 Gift certificate to Lakeshore Learning
$500 Donation to another Porter County nonprofit serving Prenatal–Age 3 families

Earn your entries!

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.

See photos from Camp '25

Memories from
Camp Collaboration '25

Joined together with a record-setting number of over 100 campers, this year we:

Connected with 30+ local organizations
Awarded $271,678 in Challenge Grants
Learned a new theme song for our work
Raffled 6 prizes from Lakeshore Learning
... and more!

Read Now

BRAINWAVES

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

Register here!

Grab Coffee with Indiana Youth Institute

Indiana Youth Institute (IYI) would like to show their appreciation for the important work you do for kids and the community by treating you to a coffee (or tea or sweet treat)!

Drop into Uptown Cafe on Tuesday October 21, between 7:00-10:00 am CT to meet your local Outreach Manager (Chelsea Naylor), learn about the resources IYI has to support your work with youth, connect with other youth workers, and—most importantly—fuel up for your day with some caffeine (on IYI!)