Thrive By Five Pinellas: Because Every Child Deserves Equal Access to Every Opportunity for Success

Left: Community Foundation Tampa Bay CEO Marlene Spalten; Right: Dr. Bilan Joseph, Director of Thrive by Five Pinellas. Photos by Brian Brakebill

By Tina Stewart Brakebill

A recent state report shows that, based on entry assessments, fewer than 60 percent of Pinellas County children are adequately prepared to begin kindergarten. The local nonprofit Thrive By Five Pinellas is committed to changing that statistic: “We don’t think that’s acceptable, and you shouldn’t, either.”

Building a Strong Foundation

Numerous studies demonstrate that the years between birth and age 5 are the most critical time for brain development, as well as a crucial time span for building the foundation for skilled thinking, behaving, and emotional well-being. Building that foundation requires a strong early-childhood system that helps to ensure that children are “ready to thrive in school — cognitively, physically, socially, and emotionally — by the time they reach kindergarten.” Thrive By Five Pinellas is focused on “creating, connecting and supporting community resources for healthy development and kindergarten readiness for children under age 5.” By 2026, they hope to lift the “ready” number from 60 percent to 90 percent. A strong foundation can reduce future challenges and open greater opportunities for successful lives, especially for children in lowincome and underserved communities. Dr. Bilan Joseph, director of Thrive By Five Pinellas, explains that it also makes “dollars and sense” to help prepare children for a better future because their success levels affect the entire community.

Collective Impact

Founded in 2017, Thrive by Five Pinellas uses that collective impact approach to bring together a diverse set of community partners dedicated to a common vision: “ensure an equitable, accessible, responsive and accountable early childhood system that will increase

the percentage of children in our community ‘ready’ for kindergarten.” Last year, the organization added a strong “backbone” to this mission by joining the Community Foundation Tampa Bay (CFTB). Founded in 1990, the CFTB “connects donors, nonprofits, community and business leaders, professional advisers, volunteers and residents to make the maximum positive impact in the Tampa Bay region.” As president and CEO of the CFTB Marlene Spalten explains, “Healthy childhood development can contribute to positive progress in our community’s vibrancy, economic mobility and mental well-being.” For example, Thrive By Five Pinellas’ mission to get more children “ready” for kindergarten dovetails perfectly with the foundation’s LEAP Tampa Bay College Access Network’s mission to increase opportunities for higher education and high-quality certifications. Thrive By Five Pinellas’ focus on building a strong foundation can help pre-empt future challenges for hopeful college students, but this foundation also clearly contributes to CFPB's overall mission to cultivate “a better, more vibrant community.”

Family members take in art at the Museum of Fine Arts. Photo City of St. Petersburg

“Every Child is Everyone’s Child”

Joseph sums up this sentiment beautifully: “Every child is everyone’s child.” As community members, there are innumerable ways to help our kids achieve greatness. Visit www.tb5p.org to find more information about volunteering or making a tax-deductible donation. If you can’t donate time or money directly, there are many other ways to help. For example, we can amplify the voices of lowwage child care teachers; contact elected officials to share support of family-friendly legislation that is equitable, accountable, and responsive; and support public libraries, especially their reading programs. We also can help get the word out by liking and sharing Thrive By Five Pinellas on Facebook.

Josh and Brooke Anderson, owners of Big Man’s Moving Company. Voted ‘Best of the Best’ for Tampa Bay Times people’s choice 2020 and 2021 awards.

4 Steps in Selecting a Moving Company

With relatively low barriers to entry, there are literally 100’s of moving companies across Tampa Bay. So how do you determine the “haves” from the “have nots”? Most consumers acquire 2-3 estimates before making a hiring decision. We asked Brooke and Josh Anderson, owners of Big Man’s Moving Company, for some must-ask questions when interviewing movers to compare apples to apples:

Step 1: Interpreting “Licensed and Insured”: Companies always say they are “licensed and insured”, however there is much more to the phrase. Company A is cheaper than the rest and their “licensed and insured” means they have a business license from the state of FL (Sunbiz. org) and insurance on their trucks. This does not protect the customer. Company B is licensed and insured with workers compensation on their W2 employees, general liability insurance, and cargo insurance. Company B will have a DOT #, and an IM # for intrastate moves, and an MC # for interstate moves.

Step 2: Who is coming into your home? Company A uses 1099 independent contractors (basically day laborers from Craigslist) who can be mowing lawns one day, bartending the next, and moving homes the following day. This information is never openly offered to the consumer. Company B employs full time, professional, uniformed movers who have been drug tested and background checked. They have a history of success with the company.

Step 3: Reliability: Has the mover ever “no showed” on moving day or canceled a move? Red flag!!! There are several factors that can give you peace of mind: 1. Agreement upon booking- Does the moving company send a contract to e-sign upon booking so they must legally show up? Do they take a deposit? 2. # of Movers- Some companies always send 3 movers on a truck. Why? If someone calls in sick, the move can still go on! This company will never cancel due to lack of manpower. 3. Reliable Trucks- When doing your research, did you see photos of the moving trucks? Did they look newer and well maintained? Another main reason movers cancel: truck maintenance issues.

Step 4: Research: Have you read reviews on Google, Facebook, Yelp, BBB, etc? Moving is a human business and sometimes mistakes happen, but reputable companies consistently maintain a 4.5-5 star ratings on all of the major sites. Has the company won any awards? Is it easy to research the company? Do they have a professional website? How does the owner or management handle disputes?

Big Man’s Moving Company has performed over 5,000 successful local, statewide, and out-of-state moves since inception in January 2017 and was voted the #1 Mover in Tampa Bay. Bigmansmoving.com 727-772-3458.