Early learning gets a big lift in Pinellas County

More than $100 million is being invested in programs and initiatives to improve children's futures, including significant investments to boost early learning and support Pinellas County families with young children in the formative years, birth to three.

Why it's important: Babies' brains are like supercomputers, absorbing and analyzing information from birth — and 80% of brain growth happens in the first 1,000 days of life.

• When families have support during this critical window, outcomes in a child's education, health and economic mobility improve dramatically.

The strategy: Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) interim CEO Michael Mikurak will steer $113 million into programs that include infant and maternal health, early childhood development, quality early learning, mental wellness, infant safe sleep, parent education and more.

• These annual investments are designed to ripple across Tampa Bay, shaping stronger families, neighborhoods and communities.

The deets: Campaigns like Turbo Babies, which promotes early connections and healthy brain development through everyday activities and four easy tips, and Sleep Baby Safely, which reduced infant sleep-related suffocation deaths by 50% and expanded statewide, are proof that early investment pays off.

Programs making a difference include:

• 👶 Turbo Babies early childhood campaign supports parents as their child's first and best teachers
• 🧠 Behavioral health services embedded in pediatric care.
• 🫂 The Pinellas Fatherhood Collaborative, supporting dads in caregiving roles.
• 🌀 Post-hurricane relief, delivering cribs, car seats, diapers, and other essentials.
• 📚 Millions invested in stabilizing the early childhood workforce.
• 👶 Sleep Baby Safely campaign educates delivering parents at birthing hospitals — plus, JWB secured safe sleep environments for 600 babies.
• 👦 250 children kept in childcare settings despite state funding cuts.

Key numbers: Last year alone, JWB invested in 98 programs across Pinellas County — reaching more than 80,000 children and families.

• About ninety cents of every dollar went directly to services for children.

The impact: These investments mean fewer preventable deaths, more babies on track developmentally, more kids ready for school and stronger families who can weather life's challenges.

• "The earlier we invest, the greater the return for our children, their families and our society," Mikurak said.

Worth a mention: JWB is a special taxing district, meaning a portion of Pinellas property taxes is set aside and reinvested directly into programs that support local children and families.

The takeaway: JWB is rethinking how Pinellas supports its youngest residents by building a foundation for healthier communities and a stronger future.

Next steps: On Wednesday, Oct. 1, dozens of Tampa Bay's top CEOs, elected officials and community leaders gathered at JWB's Clearwater campus for the Beaches to the Bay | Bosses for Babies Breakfast.

• The event, hosted with the Children's Movement of Florida, is part of the statewide Bosses for Babies initiative mobilizing CEOs to adopt family-friendly policies and invest in early learning.
• Speakers included PNC Bank's Dianne Jacob, Pinellas County Schools Superintendent Kevin Hendrick, JWB interim CEO Michael Mikurak, Children's Movement President/CEO Madeleine Thakur and Bosses for Babies Director Ric Banciella.

What's in store: Leaders unveiled two major announcements during the event:

• A transformative new solution to the childcare crisis called CARENOMICS, led by JWB to engage Pinellas County businesses in being part of the solution for a vibrant workforce.
• A record-breaking 51 percent of all statewide Bosses for Babies are Tampa Bay business leaders committed to boosting their workforces and contributing to community prosperity through family-focused practices.

See the difference early investment makes.