Baby Basics of Collier County Partnership with Florida Gulf Coast University

Program Background National program founded in 1992; Collier County program started in 2004 Serves 378 babies in Collier County; over 1,200 per month nationally 13 sites Our programs are diaper pantries not banks

Connecting with FGCU How did they find us? What you can do to connect with colleges and universities? Suggestions about which departments to connect to.

What we wanted to accomplish/criteria we used to judge success Anecdotal information vs. scientific research Focus of the research program “Determine the effect of an insufficient quantity of clean diapers on the well-being of children, their siblings and their parents.” Application of information for Baby Basics Was this study helpful to our program?

Criteria they used Highlights Statistics Population profile for our community Reading highlights: cause of diaper dermatitis health issues relating to inadequate supply of diapers toll on emotional and mental health of care givers

What we received Documentation from three student Senior Seminar research. Review of strengths and weaknesses of our program

What we learned Opportunities and suggested paths for strengthening our program: threats to our program Affirmation of the importance of our program Material for grant requests Tips for providing information to parents from results of study

Anything you would do differently? Advice? Make sure the tools you give them about your program are up to date (i.e. web up to date). Use the students as volunteers. Encourage them to tell your story to others. Provide opportunities to share the information with volunteers.

Plans going forward Connections have been made – FGCU has chosen Baby Basics again for their next semester’s project. Use this connection to establish relationships with other departments in the University

Questions? References used by students available