Tonya Wallace has joined DeSoto County-based nonprofit Links to Success in the new role of First 1,000 Days Family Navigator.
The new role as family navigator will involve guiding families through a maze of available services to ensure they receive comprehensive support during early childhood development. Wallace will provide families with guidance and resources to meet their specific needs, and she will build relationships with service providers to facilitate referrals and ensure access. She will also lead workshops and trainings for parents and caregivers on topics related to early childhood development, parenting and health.
Wallace most recently worked with children and their families in DeSoto County as the Children’s Library Director at the DeSoto County Public Library. Prior to that, she worked for 22 years as an elementary school teacher for the DeSoto County School District.
Wallace will provide guidance and access to a range of health, child care and social service resources for DeSoto families to support their newborns and toddlers during the critical years of early childhood development. Her role is critical to the continued expansion of services of the First 1,000 Days Suncoast initiative, based at Sarasota Memorial Health Care System.
“Connecting Links to Success and First 1,000 Days in this way will have a tremendous impact on the families of DeSoto County,” said Ashley Coone, executive director of Links to Success. “With Tonya on board, we will identify and partner with young parents and young children to lay a solid foundation for their future success.”
Links to Success is a pioneer in preparing middle and high school students for college and careers in DeSoto County, addressing educational inequality and limited resources in one of Florida’s poorest regions. “To best serve our families and our community, we must start earlier and ensure our children have access to high-quality learning experiences,” Coone said.
Barancik provides $400,000
The Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation recently awarded Links to Success a $400,000 grant to expand its programs and build its capacity, including seed money to begin supporting families. Links to Success partners with First 1,000 Days Suncoast, which coordinates free services for at-risk families in collaboration with more than 90 community partners.
“This strategic collaboration will enable Links to Success to leverage its proven results and extend support all the way to a child’s first teacher, their parents,” said Kelly Romanoff, senior vice president of strategy at the Baranick Foundation.
Pregnant mothers or families with young children from DeSoto County can complete an assistance application form at first1000dayssuncoast.org/help-form. For more information, visit first1000dayssuncoast.org.
Submitted by Greg Luberecki
