Forty Carrots Family Center: Information, Skills and Support for the First Five Years of Life

Like many young people, Marcel Gomez looked forward to high school graduation as a rite of passage…she was 18 and soon would make her own choices when it came to matters of heart and home.

Until an unplanned pregnancy brought Santiago into her life. To finish school, she transferred to Cyesis, a program for pregnant students, and was heartened to discover much more than academics. In one of their longest standing partnerships, Forty Carrots Family Center’s parenting educators have joined Cyesis teachers each week to provide young girls with the skills and encouragement they need to understand and appreciate the joys of parenthood. “At first, I was very nervous…I didn’t know how to take care of a baby,” Marcel said. “But every week they came and taught me something new…how to hold a baby, how to feed them, how to play with them…” And perhaps more importantly, she said, how to cope through the inevitable moments in parenting with things fall apart. Through generous grants and donations, Forty Carrots Family Centers provides parents like Marcel a lifeline during the most difficult time of their lives.

Forty Carrots is made up of four components:

• A comprehensive parenting center
• A community outreach parenting education program
• Professional development and training opportunities
• A nationally (NAEYC) accredited Preschool

Parenting Education for All

Forty Carrots' comprehensive Parenting Education Program strives to help families of all backgrounds create environments that nurture healthy minds, compassionate hearts, and responsible behavior. For 16 years Forty Carrots has served more than 20,000 families in the Sarasota community. Over 87% of families receive FREE services from Forty Carrots. We help families:

• Develop strong emotional bonds with their children
• Understand why children behave the way they do
• Generate creative solutions to everyday problems
• Use effective discipline strategies
• Improve parent-child communication
• Learn ways to facilitate children’s play and learning
• Develop a support network and relieve the sense of isolation that many parents feel when raising children
• Reduce frustration and stress levels for parents and children
• Feel a sense of accomplishment, confidence, self-esteem and enjoyment in family life