NEWS

Engaging and Growing the Elkhart County Family Child Care Network The Family Child Care Network (FCCN) is growing in Elkhart County. In November, family child care providers gathered to enjoy a meal, celebrate their work, and learn more about early childhood programs and services, including those provided by CAPS, Maple City Health Care Center,...

The Data Support Team launched Visible Network Labs in November. With the help of Visible Network Labs, we’ll gain deeper insights into our community networks and create visual tools to better understand our partnerships, highlight strengths, and pinpoint gaps in our ecosystem. Learn more at this LINK.

The Communications Support Team engaged with the work of refreshing the Building Strong Brains website and launching social media to evolve with the coalition work. We will be adding additional content to the site to continue to make it a valuable resource for our collective work in Elkhart County. Click on the LINK to visit the website. Social...

The Building Strong Brains coalition has consistently highlighted the importance of understanding all factors that influence a young child’s ability to thrive. Recognizing that Economic Self-Sufficiency plays a vital role in a family’s stability and a child’s success, the coalition acknowledges the need for ongoing evolution in its work. The...

Building Strong Brains convened 40 Community Resource Navigators from eight community organizations in October to listen to community resource navigators who are experts in the experiences of families with young children in Elkhart County. Jeanette Harder, PhD, MSW, LSW, MSW Program Director, and Professor of Social Work at Goshen College, led...

Liz Weaver retired from Tamarack Institute at the end of November. Liz served in leadership roles at the Tamarack Institute for 15 years, with her most recent role serving as co-CEO. Liz has been an amazing partner in Building Strong Brains by contributing design work, offering tools to propel engagement, challenging us, and encouraging us. We...

Brian Replogle joined the Building Strong Brains Coalition in August as its assistant director. A retired firefighter and EMT-A from South Bend, Brian is a dedicated father to his son, Austin, and has been a passionate advocate for families and children—both with and without disabilities—for over 20 years. He has collaborated with various local,...

Thank you to SmartNoggin for donating over 100 Baby’s First Book of Sounds to Elkhart County partners for distribution to families. Marcia Haut, SmartNoggin Founder, lived and worked in Elkhart County for years and we are thankful for this donation to support young children and families in Elkhart County. If you haven’t heard of SmartNoggin,...

We are continually learning and evolving as we build a strong, sustainable Building Strong Brains coalition. A key part of this complex effort is measuring our shared impact and planning strategic next steps. With the help of Visible Network Labs, we’ll gain deeper insights into our community networks and create visual tools to better understand...

We are excited to welcome Goshen College as our newest organizational sponsor. Our organizational sponsors help BSB by: Prioritizing early child development as a focus for the organization, evidenced by board agreement. Agreeing to share, to the extent possible, relevant information with coalition partners to reach shared goals. Demonstrating...