Southwest News

Healthy Families Collier/Lee Wins Excellence Award

In recognition of the project’s commitment to high standards of excellence, the Healthy Families Collier/Lee Program received an award from Healthy Families Florida at its Statewide Leadership Meeting held in late September. The award was presented by DCF Secretary David Wilkins to Healthy Families Collier/Lee Program Manager Sonji Nicholas.

Healthy Families Collier/Lee is a program of the Children’s Home Society of Florida, Southwest Division that is run collaboratively with the Collier County Health Department. Healthy Families Collier/Lee is a part of Healthy Families Florida, a nationally accredited, evidence-based home visiting program for expectant parents and parents of newborns experiencing stressful life situations. The program improves childhood outcomes and increases family self-sufficiency by empowering parents through education and community support. Parents voluntarily participate in Healthy Families so they can learn how to recognize and respond to their babies’ changing developmental needs, use positive discipline techniques, cope with the day-to-day stress of parenting in healthy ways, and set and achieve short- and long-term goals. In Collier, services are provided in Golden Gate City; Immokalee and in Lee, services are provided in Lehigh Acres and various neighborhoods in Ft. Myers.

There are a total of 35 Healthy Families projects operating throughout the State of Florida and Healthy Families Collier/Lee was one of five projects to receive an Excellence Award at the statewide meeting. The Collier/Lee site was commended for consistently exceeding program goals including child abuse prevention, promotion of infant and child health and development, and family self-sufficiency.

Funding for Healthy Families Collier comes primarily from Healthy Families Florida in partnership with the Ounce of Prevention Fund of Florida. Local funding and support is provided by the United Way of Collier and the United Way of Lee. For more information about Children’s Home Society of Florida and Healthy Families Collier/Lee, please contact Rebecca McGuire, Executive Director of the Southwest Division at (239) 565-7063.

No clients shall be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. Clients needing accommodations for a disability and/or clients with special communications needs should contact their Children’s Home Society of Florida worker or make their request for accommodation at the time of admission into a Children’s Home Society of Florida program.

CHILDREN'S HOME SOCIETY OF FLORIDA, REGISTRATION #CH180, IS REGISTERED WITH THE STATE UNDER THE SOLICITATION OF CONTRIBUTIONS ACT. A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE (800-435-7352) WITHIN THE STATE. REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.