The Florida Center for Early Childhood, a local nonprofit serving at-risk children and their families in Sarasota, Charlotte, Manatee and DeSoto/Hardee counties, was awarded a $7,000 grant from the J. Milton and Nellie E. Hoffa Memorial Foundation. The grant will be used to train seven licensed mental health therapists as Circle of Security facilitators. The Circle of Security curriculum is aimed at helping at-risk parents with a history of trauma learn healthy ways of relating and forming attachments to their new baby. The Circle of Security program has been implemented at the agency for many years, but has recently expanded with the Early Childhood Court program serving Sarasota and Manatee counties. The Early Childhood Court follows the lead of the national Zero to Three Safe Baby Court Team and requires participation in The Circle of Security program, increasing the demand for trained professionals in the community.

Florida Center for Early Childhood