JWB Celebrates First In-person OST Conference Since COVID

On Saturday, September 14, JWB hosted the 5th annual Out-of-School-Time (OST) Conference at Ruth Eckerd Hall, marking the first in-person iteration of the event since the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The high-energy event celebrated more than 300 staff from OST, literacy, and Neighborhood Family Center programs while also providing them with valuable professional development. Themed “Together We Rock,” the program featured lively entertainment—including a DJ, an improv comedy troupe, and a photo booth!– as well as an inspiring keynote and even a breakout for 80+ supervisors. 

We also unveiled JWB’s partnership with Pinellas County Schools on their new Digital Responsibility curriculum and campaign, and shared that September is Start with Hello Month, which encourages everyone to create a sense of belonging and connection through kindness. 

Overall, the event was a massive success for JWB and the hard-working out-of-school-time staff who do so much for students in Pinellas County throughout the year! Enjoy more photos of the 2024 OST Conference here.

Laura Peele Named JWB’s First Chief Information Officer

Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) CEO Beth Houghton recently announced the promotion of Laura Peele from Director of Information Technology to the brand-new role of Chief Information Officer (CIO), also making her the newest member of the JWB Executive Team.

“Laura Peele has long been an important and effective member of the JWB Team,” she said at the time of the announcement. “This promotion to Chief Information Officer is well deserved and puts Laura in a position to have an even greater strategic impact.”

As CIO, Peele provides leadership, supervision, and oversight of organizational Information Technology (IT) strategies, policies, and personnel to ensure that IT investments and operations align with and successfully support JWB’s mission as well as strategic and tactical plans.

Peele prides herself in ensuring that JWB is an early adopter of the most cutting-edge technology that supports innovation and efficiency in organizational operations, leading to improved community impact.

She earned a B.S. in Technology Management from St. Pete College while working full-time at JWB, and she has been a Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO) since 2016.

Deeply committed to the mission, Peele has more than 30 years of experience with JWB, serving in a variety of roles: After initially joining the JWB Human Resources department, she moved into IT and progressed steadily through the ranks as she led a series of firsts: From creating and administering a five-county software system for the Florida Children’s Services Councils (CSCs) and leading the effort to create the organization’s first data warehouse to secure all JWB data to leading the infrastructure side of JWB’s transition to a remote workforce in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Born in New York, Peele has been a Pinellas resident since the third grade and considers it an honor to serve Pinellas County children and families. (She and her three children are, as she says, proud products of the Pinellas County School district.)

Peele also pours her support into the community through volunteer work: As Captain of the Ye Krewe of Sir Henry Morgan, a Gasparilla krewe, she leads more than 150 members in community service and philanthropic support of local schools and cancer organizations, including National Cancer Society, Children’s Cancer Center, and Moffitt Cancer Center.

St. Pete Fire Rescue Cadets Volunteer with JWB to Help Parents “Sleep Baby Safely”

While they’re usually saving lives by responding to emergency calls, first responders from St. Petersburg Fire Rescue volunteered their time on July 25th to pack bags filled with items designed to save babies’ lives during sleep.

Their ongoing support of the Sleep Baby Safely campaign, which was created by JWB and has cut infant sleep-related deaths in half since it launched in 2018, is invaluable. And we are extremely grateful for their dedication to helping us educate parents and caregivers about the importance of practicing safe sleep for babies, every night and every nap. Learn more at SleepBabySafely.com.

JWB and St. Pete Free Clinic Partner to Feed Kids as Summer EBT Monies Sunset

This Saturday, June 22, the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) and St. Petersburg Free Clinic (SPFC) will partner to giveaway free fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, and more to families struggling to put food on the table for their kids this summer. This event will take place in the JWB Parking Lot located at 14155 58th St. N., Clearwater, FL 33760, and is the first of six events planned at sites across Pinellas County this summer.

“A perfect storm is brewing for struggling families,” stated Beth Houghton, JWB Chief Executive Officer. “Summer is always a challenge, given so many children count on school meals for their daily nutrition. This summer is particularly tough since a pandemic-initiated stipend of $300 per child will end for families who receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, otherwise known as Summer EBT. This comes at a time of high housing, utility, and food costs, and the gap-weeks before and after summer school are of particular concern.”

JWB’s Childhood Hunger Collaborative forecasted this issue ahead of summer and convened partners to quickly devise a plan. The group has been highly effective in identifying and filling food gaps for kids, responding swiftly to urgent needs as it did throughout the pandemic.

“JWB is committed to ensuring no child goes hungry. We invest $4.2M in bulk food with the St. Pete Free Clinic, which then distributes to food banks and pantries across Pinellas County,” continued Houghton. “We will access these investments to distribute free fresh food to families at six drive-thru mobile sites in mid, north, and south Pinellas County, starting this Saturday.”

Each family will receive a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins/meats, dairy, eggs, cereals, canned goods, and more – approximately 52+ pounds of food per family. A total of 21,000 pounds of food will be given away at each event, which equates to 126,000 pounds of food distributed across the six events when summer ends.

For a list of all six summer food events, visit www.jwbpinellas.org/calendar/free-summer-food-for-families/

Childhood Hunger Stats:

  • 1 in 8 (18,369) children in Pinellas County are food insecure, or 12.6% of the total population of children under age 18.
  • 1 in 5 (676,945) children in Florida are food insecure, or 14.3% of the total population of children under age 18.
  • 1 in 5 (14,783,000) children in the United States are food insecure, or 20% of the total population of children under age 18.

*Food insecurity means children do not have enough food at times for a healthy, active life.

WHAT:            Summer Food for Families Drive-Thru Mobile Food Pantry Giveaway

WHEN:            Saturday, June 22, 2024, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM (while supplies last)

WHERE:           Juvenile Welfare Board Parking Lot, 14155 58th St. N., Clearwater, FL 33760

WHO:              Families with children in need of food (anticipate feeding 400+ families at this one event). Elected officials and other dignitaries will be on hand to volunteer to pass out food.

Editor’s Note: There will be opportunities for interviews with JWB CEO Beth Houghton, elected officials/VIPs who will be volunteering, and families in the drive-thru line who are receiving free food. We will also have staff available to give interviews in Spanish.

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ABOUT JWB: For more than 75 years, JWB has been investing in the futures of children to strengthen our community. JWB invests in programs, services, and initiatives so children are ready to learn, succeed, and thrive in homes, schools, and neighborhoods that are healthy and safe. To learn more about JWB, please visit www.jwbpinellas.org.

ABOUT SPFC: With compassion and respect, SPFC changes lives by providing health care, nutritious food, recovery housing, and education for our neighbors in need.  To learn more about SPFC, please visit www.thespfc.org.

Juvenile Welfare Board Welcomes Robbi Stivers as New Chief Financial Officer

The Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB) is pleased to announce that Robbi Stivers has been named Chief Financial Officer of the organization.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Robbi join our team,” stated Beth Houghton, JWB Chief Executive Officer. “He has extensive experience navigating the intricacies of government finance in top executive roles, mainly in higher education, and has a track record for demonstrating strong accountability and transparency, making him a good fit for our organization.”

Stivers is a proven leader with 20-plus years of finance experience with local and state governments and public higher education. Building on a successful banking career, he has applied principles of sound business practices, financial management, and organizational leadership to his government finance roles. Stivers is a skilled problem-solver who applies his entrepreneurial vision to create new programs for increased accountability and efficiencies; possesses in-depth knowledge of risk assessment and mitigation; and is savvy to federal, state, and local leadership, legislation, and regulatory environments.

In his role as JWB CFO, Stivers will be responsible for the development and use of sound fiscal and contracting policies and practices that support JWB’s mission and activities while furthering its strategic plan. As Department Chief, he will plan, direct, and supervise the work of JWB personnel engaged in the activities of accounting, budget preparation and analysis, procurement, administrative contract management, and program finance. In addition, he will regularly report to JWB’s 11-member Board who are representative of the community and guide citizens’ investments.

Stivers earned his B.S. in Business Administration from Tennessee Wesleyan University and his M.A. in Organizational Management from Tusculum University. He is a Certified Government Financial Manager (granted by the Association of Government Accountants). He has early career certifications and experience in both insurance and banking. 

JWB in an independent special taxing district that has been committed to making children a priority for more than 75 years. Governed by an 11-member Board and driven by data, JWB ensures children are ready to learn, ready to succeed, and ready to thrive in homes, schools, and neighborhoods that are healthy and safe. JWB invests in 100 quality programs with 53 nonprofit agencies, and works collectively to address childhood hunger, grade-level reading, and preventable child deaths. Last year, JWB’s investments strengthened the lives of more than 70,000 children and families across six strategic result areas: Early Childhood Development, School Readiness, School Success, the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, Strengthening Community, and Organizational Capacity.

No-Cost Summer Clinic Screenings

Now is the time for families to get a jump on the next school year by taking care of their child’s health screenings. They run from June 17 to August 8.

The Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County (DOH-Pinellas) is again offering its annual summer Back to School clinic services to students, kindergarten through grade 12, to prepare for the 2024-25 school year. Please note that children going into Pre-K are not eligible.

The school-based health clinics will provide school, sports and well child physicals, including immunizations, at no cost to clients. Vision screenings provided by Preserve Vision Florida will be available at select locations, and basic dental services provided by DOH-Pinellas will also be available. The last day to receive services is Thursday, Aug. 8.

The services will be provided at no cost by appointment only.  The appointments are available Monday through Thursday on select dates between 8 AM and 2 PM at the following locations:

  • Boca Ciega High School Clinic: 924 58th St. S., St. Petersburg
  • Gibbs High School Clinic: 850 34th St. S., St. Petersburg
  • Pinellas Park High School Clinic: 6305 118th Ave N., Pinellas Park

For appointments, call (727) 824-6900 and select option 4. A parent or guardian must bring the child’s immunization and medical records and be present for services. If the parent is not able to be present, a Designation of Health Care Surrogate form must be completed in advance and brought to the appointment. Forms are located at bit.ly/SummerClinicForms

All Pinellas children entering kindergarten on Aug. 12 or any students enrolling in the state for the first time must present a school entrance physical, dated within one year of school enrollment.

DOH-Pinellas’ school-based health clinics are a partnership with the Juvenile Welfare Board, the Pinellas County School Board, Suncoast Center, Inc., and the administrations of Boca Ciega, Gibbs, Northeast, Largo, and Pinellas Park High Schools. The clinics provide services to students attending the five schools. 

Download the flyer in English or Spanish

View the article as originally published at https://pinellas.floridahealth.gov/newsroom/2024/06/summer-clinics.html

JWB’s Turbo Babies Hands-On Exhibit Open at Great Explorations Children’s Museum

The Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas (JWB) has opened a new Turbo Babies early childhood exhibit at Great Explorations Children’s Museum in St. Petersburg.

Research shows that 80% of brain growth happens in a baby’s first 1,000 days. Fueled by JWB, the Turbo Babies campaign is designed to support parents and caregivers as their child’s first and best teachers by offering practical tips and activities that help supercharge their baby’s learning and keep them on track developmentally from birth to three. 

Turbo Babies was designed to support parents and caregivers by offering practical tips and activities that help supercharge their child’s learning and keep developmental milestones on track. “The real beauty of Turbo Babies is that its scientific underpinnings are masked by the simplicity of its messaging, images, and the power of play. So much so that a simple game of peek-a-boo can change the trajectory of a baby’s healthy development,” said JWB Chief Executive Officer Beth A. Houghton.

Turbo Babies’ innovative space at Great Ex is tailored to early childhood development for infants and toddlers. The exhibit underscores the power of play in building babies’ brains. The campaign video, Any Time is Turbo Time, vividly illustrates the campaign’s four Turbo Tips and fun, everyday activities parents and caregivers can do with their babies. This new exhibit provides Turbo Babies and their caregivers with enriching, hands-on educational activities in a space designed specifically for children aged 0 to 3 years old.

Enjoy photos from the exhibit’s grand opening on May 10, 2024.

For more information about the Turbo Babies exhibit, visit GreatEx.org. To learn more about the Turbo Babies campaign, visit TurboBabies.com.

Tampa Bay’s Best Places to Work

This year marks the 18th year of the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Best Place to Work and contains a mixture of new and returning honorees.

One of the “best” parts about Best Places to Work is that it gives employees the chance to vote for their workplaces and have a voice. Quantum Workplace surveyed employees at these high-functioning companies about company culture, including compensation and benefits and trust in leaders. Nominations were accepted and nominated companies were surveyed.

Quantum evaluated employees’ responses to create composite scores. Analytical tools selected the top organizations in each size class (small, medium, large and extra large). The results are quantitative, based on employee survey responses rather than a panel of outside judges.

From communication and resources to manager effectiveness and personal engagement, these 60 companies are showing Tampa Bay what it means to be a good employer.

View each honoree to read their full profile and learn what makes them one of the Best Places to Work in Tampa Bay.

Read the JWB profile at https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/c/tampa-bays-best-places-to-work/23661/15-juvenile-welfare-board-of-pinellas-county.html

Read the article, and access all Best Places to Work honoree profiles, as originally published at https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/c/tampa-bays-best-places-to-work.html

2024 Best Places to Work Celebration and Final Rankings Reveal

The 60 company honorees comprising the 2024 Best Places to Work showed up in full force on Thursday, May 2, 2024, for Tampa Bay’s largest corporate picnic.

Nearly 1,000 employees, managers and their families celebrated at Raymond James Stadium with music, food and games as the ranking order was revealed in the annual event spotlighting Tampa Bay companies that devote time and focus to culture and belonging at work.

View the photos above for scenes from the event, and find the entire gallery here.

This year marks the 18th of the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s Best Place to Work — a program that gives employees the chance to confidentially vote for their workplaces and have a voice. Quantum Workplace surveyed employees at these high-functioning companies about company culture, including compensation and benefits and trust in leaders. Nominations were accepted and nominated companies were surveyed.

Quantum evaluated employees’ responses to create composite scores. Analytical tools selected the top organizations in each size class (small, medium, large and extra large). The results are quantitative, based on employee survey responses rather than a panel of outside judges.

The post-pandemic era has seen a shift in focus on workplace culture priorities, with access to remote work and flexibility high a high priority. But the future of workplace flexibility is in how employees are able to do their work, research from O.C. Tanner’s 2024 Global Culture Report found.

“While this includes time and place, it’s also about autonomy and control over their time at work,” a summary said.

The report found there are five factors to workplace flexibility that contribute to employees feeling balance, trusted, and valued at work, including time for personal matters and development, as well as autonomy in how employees accomplish their work.

Read more: See all 60 honorees and discover what differentiates their workplaces in the May 3 digital edition.

“While not all jobs can have the same types of flexibility (nor do employees expect them to), organizations can still offer some to every role,” the report said. “It could also mean letting employees find a quiet environment when they need to focus, and allowing them to choose projects they’re interested in.”

Read the article and view the gallery as originally published on https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2024/05/03/best-places-to-work-celebration-raymond-james.html

JWB and Community Partners Host a Press Conference to Kickoff Water Safety Month

To kick off National Water Safety Month, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue in collaboration with JWB, Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition led by Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, and St. Petersburg Parks & Recreation hosted a press conference on May 1st, 2024, to raise awareness of water safety and drowning prevention.

Local experts discussed how easily these tragedies can happen, the dangerous effects of a water submersion, the importance of knowing CPR, and resources on how to prevent these incidents from occurring.

In addition, SPFR Paramedics and City of St. Pete Lifeguard provided a demonstration responding to a pediatric drowning on simulation mannequin provide by ECHO Healthcare.

JWB Chief Program Officer Karen Boggess also spoke.

Florida leads the nation in drowning fatalities for children under 5 years old. In 2023, we saw a record increase of pediatric submersions and fatal drownings locally here in Pinellas County, where a total of 37 pediatric submersions tragically led to 4 drowning fatalities.

View photos of the event on Facebook.