Making Porter County the Best Place to be a Baby
Investing in babies transforms society: education attainment rises, hospitalizations go down, crime decreases, and earnings go up. Helping babies thrive requires a village of support. But most communities lack a connected system of resources for 0 to 3-year-olds – and collective awareness of how important this critical time is.
Launched by the Porter County Community Foundation, First Things First Porter County is working to create the conditions for every baby to flourish.
As a backbone entity, we’re developing a communitywide agenda for thriving babies; connecting 0 to 3 resources like doctor’s offices, schools and libraries so families can navigate them easily; and advocating for pro-baby policies so our partners maximize impact. We aim to serve all 7,000 Porter County children under age 4 with the full range of support for success and build an unprecedented culture of care in Porter County.
In our first five years, nearly one out of two Porter County babies received at least one of the resources they need to thrive: maternal prenatal care and nutritious food; quality healthcare and developmental support; early talking, reading, and singing that fuels critical brain development; and savings for their future education.
By providing a streamlined set of resources for babies, we make it easy for families to access the critical tools they need, creating a model for what is possible when we invest from the start.
Our Mission:
A collaborative of community partners creating a rich system of care, support and services so that every Porter County baby born is prepared for a strong start in life.
Our Vision:
Empowering the community to ensure every child has a healthy, thriving start to life through a seamless connection with the prenatal to 3 ecosystem that prioritizes brain development, language, & early relational health