Children’s Trust of Alachua County Hires Pritzker Fellow
Funded by the Pritzker Children’s Initiative
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 1, 2021
GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – The Children’s Trust of Alachua County has recently hired Mia R. Jones as the Early Childhood Coordinator - Pritzker Children’s Initiative.
The Children’s Trust of Alachua County received a three-year $250,000 grant from the Pritzker Children’s Initiative to fund this position. It is only one of 10 across the nation.
“With the support of the Pritzker Children’s Initiative and the expertise of Mia, the Children’s Trust is well-positioned to help our children and their families to thrive,” explained Colin Murphy, Executive Director of the Children’s Trust of Alachua County.
Jones will be coordinating the “On the Way” initiative with systems leaders including the Early Learning Coalition of Alachua County (elcalachua.org), Well Florida - Healthy Start Coalition (wellflorida.org), and other early childcare providers.
The “On the Way” initiative aims to increase participation rates of children and families across our existing continuum of prenatal to three (PN-3) services, while simultaneously improving the quality of PN-3 care and early education.
Jones has 20 years of experience serving children and families in Alachua and surrounding counties. Her most recent professional experience was as the Placement Manager of the Partnership for Strong Families Inc. She previously served on the Children Multidisciplinary Assessment Team with Children’s Medical Services and has served on several statewide workgroups and steering committees to improve services and outcomes for Florida children.
Jones is a certified Trust-Based Relational Intervention Practitioner (TBRI) from Texas Christian University working with caregivers and children who experienced early trauma. Jones earned her BA in Psychology from Saint Leo University in Florida and a MA in Human Resources Management from Webster University in Missouri.
“Children are the heartbeat of a community. The opportunity to collaborate with community stakeholders who are doing the great work of creating spaces and connecting families where the voice of our youngest residents can be nurtured and heard is a honor,” said Jones.
The Children's Trust of Alachua County provides children's services throughout Alachua County.
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Contact: Daniel J. Douglas
Phone: 352-374-1825
Email: ddouglas@childrenstrustofalachuacounty.us
Website: www.childrenstrustofalachuacounty.us
