The Children’s Services Council of Martin County was established to enhance the well-being of children and families in Martin County by funding programs that promote health, family stability, safety, and learning. In accordance with its statutory mission, the Children’s Services Council does not directly provide services but instead allocates funding to local organizations with expertise in specific program areas. Each year, the Children’s Services Council carefully assesses community needs and releases new funding priorities to ensure resources align with emerging challenges.

Through competitive annual funding cycles, the Children’s Services Council strategically invests in programs that advance four priority areas:

1. Healthy children: Promotes maternal and child health, mental health, coping skills, and physical wellness.
2. Strong families: Connects parents and caregivers to essential services that foster stability, self-sufficiency, and resilience. These initiatives include education, job training, and navigation support to help families thrive.
3. Safe communities: Focuses on reducing risks and promoting safer environments for children through injury prevention, water safety, and delinquency prevention programs that keep youth engaged and supported in positive ways.
4. Early learning and development: Prepares children for kindergarten through developmental screenings, referrals, high-quality child care and early literacy initiative.
5. Youth development and academic success: Focuses on healthy behaviors, life skills and academic success, emphasizing grade-level reading by third grade, and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) education.

In fiscal year 2024-2025, the Children’s Services Council of Martin County funded more than 50 programs operated by over 35 organizations, serving thousands of children and families across Martin County. These investments generated measurable outcomes across multiple areas of child development and family well-being:

• The Early Learning Coalition of IRMO: Continuity of Care program served 151 children by helping families from households with low income maintain child care during employment transitions, allowing parents to stay in or return to the workforce while their children continued to benefit from quality early education.
• The Helping People Succeed: Baby Connections program provided home visits for parents of young children, serving 484 adults and strengthening parent-child relationships. 
• The Easter Seals: Treasure Coast Early Steps Program delivered early intervention services to 232 children with development delays, resulting in 97% of participants demonstrating new skills or behaviors. 
• The House of Hope: Let’s Start Learning program supported 51 children ages 2–4 who lacked access to Head Start or early education opportunities, with 100% of participants showing measurable progress toward developmental expectations and kindergarten readiness. 
• Among the child care teachers who participated in the Early Learning Coalition of IRMO: Early Childhood Specialist Coaching Program, 80% demonstrated above-average growth in responsive caregiving, engaged support for learning, and classroom organization.