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Champions for Children builds stronger families in the Tampa Bay region through its child abuse prevention and family education programs.
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All parents want the perfect beginning for their babies. Baby Bungalow helps parents with this important, demanding job. As an early childhood resource center for parents and caregivers, Baby Bungalow focuses on children's needs from birth to age five. It provides parents with the building blocks to face the challenges and pleasures of raising happy, well-adjusted children.
New and experienced parents benefit from a wide variety of classes, support groups, information and enrichment activities. Baby Bungalow services include developmental playgroups, baby sign language, parent support groups, infant massage, child development workshops, and music classes.
Founded in 1999, Baby Bungalow is an "any baby, any family" evidence-informed program of Champions for Children in collaboration with the Healthy Start Coalition of Hillsborough County and Children's Board of Hillsborough County. In 2003, Baby Bungalow began offering its many services through Hillsborough County's Family Support & Resource Centers, which are currently the Children’s Board Family Resource Centers.

To learn more about Baby Bungalow, visit www.babybungalow.org, or call (813) 356-1293.

Maternal prenatal alcohol and drug use affects 10 percent of all newborns in Hillsborough County. These infants often suffer neurological problems, physical abnormalities and developmental difficulties. The problem of substance abuse also interferes with a mother’s ability to provide a nurturing, safe environment for her child. Tragically, studies reveal that these children are at a significantly higher risk for abuse and neglect.
Breakaway was designed to meet the special needs of these babies and their mothers, who are often ill-equipped to form positive relationships with their own children or deal with the demands of child-rearing. Siblings of substance-exposed
newborns are also served through this developmental childcare program.
Breakaway’s parent-education and child-assessment services improve the skills of developmentally delayed children, strengthen the bonds between parent and
child, and help the children develop healthy long-term relationships.
Breakaway is centered around a special developmental nursery that offers loving, supportive, therapeutic care to children of mothers who are enrolled in drug and alcohol treatment programs provided by the Drug Abuse Comprehensive Coordinating Office (DACCO) and the Centre for Women. This partnership is known as Family Centered Substance Abuse Services and is funded primarily by the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County.

To learn more about Breakaway call (813) 673-4646.

FRANC (Fathers Resource and Networking Center) serves as a community-wide hub for fatherhood initiatives, activities and services. The mission of FRANC is to make available resources, support, information and education to enable dads to address the challenges and celebrate the joys of positive fathering and involvement with their children. FRANC services are for all dads... married, single, divorced, foster, surrogate, expectant and mentors.

FRANC’s services include:

» Nurturing Dads course that assists dads to be the “best father they can be.”

» Boot Camp for New Dads uses veteran fathers to orient “rookie” dads expecting their first babies.

» Dads Dinners are informal monthly gatherings where dads hear about important fathering topics, receive advice and support from one another, and plan recreational outings with their children.

» Nurturing Parenting is designed to strengthen families by encouraging empathy and caring, responsibility and discipline, and family growth.

To learn more about FRANC, call (813) 356-1293.