Newtown is more than just a place on a map; it is a vibrant community built on a rich heritage and enduring spirit. For too long, the people of Newtown have navigated the impacts of economic challenges and historical disadvantages. Yet, through it all, the bonds of family, faith, and community have remained unbreakable.
The People of Newtown are our reason for being. We are the elders who hold the wisdom of generations, the parents striving for a better life for our children, and the youth who represent our boundless future. The Newtown Family Center is dedicated to honoring this resilience, addressing the generational trauma that has impacted our community, and providing the tools and support necessary for every individual and family to thrive.
By investing in our people, we are laying the groundwork for generations of Newtown residents to flourish and lead.
Our Steering Committee represents different voices of the Newtown community working collaboratively on this collective impact initiative, sharing a vision to co-design the Newtown Family Center to move our families from surviving to thriving in one generation.
If you would like to attend our meetings or serve in any one of our leadership committees, please contact us at info@newtownfamilycenter.org or call 941-867-0779.
Alex Amaya, Elena Andrews, Mary Butler, Geri Chaffee, Jessica Cramer, Shinece Davis, Hilary Espinosa-Santucci, Curtis Hayes, Ronnique Major, Helen Neal-Ali, Gina Rosabal, Dr. Cathy Rodriguez, Terrill Salem, Nathan Scott, Yazmil Soriano, Michelle Stears, Javi Suarez, Ernestine Taylor, Carlos Yancy
On May 16, 2025, the Steering Committee hosted its first Community Conversation to begin co-designing the Newtown Family Center. Read all about it in the summary report.
Children of poverty experience tremendous disadvantages in health, social and academic development. Poverty is the most consistent and strongest predictor of child maltreatment, neglect, abuse, and intervention by the welfare and judicial systems.
While many Newtown families fall within the ALICE threshold, the majority (54%) of Newtown children survive in households below the federal poverty line, compared to the national rate of 16% and Sarasota County’s 8% rate.
There are 2,243 single-parent households within the 3,200-student population of the five Title I schools serving the community. Over half of residents 16 and older are not in the labor force. The 34234 Zip Code remains one of the highest for DCF child removal in the 12th Judicial Circuit. Black infant mortality in Sarasota County is 3X higher than average.
Newtown children have the highest juvenile arrest rates in Sarasota County and alarmingly low literacy rates, which we believe are correlated. In the 2022-23 school year, 63% of students in Newtown’s middle school failed the Florida Department of Education English and science tests, and less than a third of 8th graders passed the math test. Currently enrolled in local high schools, these children are unable to take advantage of the excellence of our school district, which is touted as one of the best in the state. Too many drop out or finish unprepared, unhappy, and often angry, perpetuating the cycle of poverty and violence.
Judicial system data for Sarasota County reports 683 juvenile arrests (SY 2022-23). The majority of children arrested were Black and Hispanic, even though they constitute less than 30% of the public school student population. The highest number of in-school arrests, including felonies and misdemeanors, was reported at Newtown’s middle school, with 25 incidents in just ten months.
– African proverb
The legacy and resilience of Newtown shine through our community elders. Several organizations, among them Newtown Nation, Jetson’s Creative Trends, Newtown Business Council, Newtown Thriving, Newtown Alive, Multi-Cultural Health Institute, and Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition, hold the wisdom, stories, and culture of the community to share with each new generation.
The Community Foundation has been a resource during challenging times, investing in emergency needs, disaster relief and recovery, programs that provide and sustain stability, food security and quality healthcare, our environment, and animal welfare, so that those who live here can enjoy a high quality of life.
We thank the Community Foundation of Sarasota for supporting our vision from day 1, funding our first Community Workshop where parents, students and residents came together to share ideas, experiences and vision for our Newtown Family Center.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation focuses on strengthening families, building stronger communities and ensuring access to opportunity, because children and young people need all three to succeed. The Foundation advances research and solutions to overcome the barriers to success, help communities demonstrate what works and influence decision makers to invest in strategies based on solid evidence.
We thank Annie E. Casey Foundation for funding our Small test of Change grant cohort, where we are collaborating with cohorts from Arizona, Hawaii, Virginia and Idaho who are also in various stages of designing Family Centers.
The mission of the National Family Support Network is to promote positive outcomes for all children, families, and communities by leveraging the collective impact of state networks and championing quality family support and strengthening practices and policies.
We thank the National Family Support Network for providing access to their various resources including the FRC Learning Hub as well as their outstanding training and certification programs including the Adaptive Leadership Summit, Resilient Leadership, Cultivating Resilient Parent Advisory Committees and Quality Standards Certification training.
BayFirst National Bank opened its 11th full-service banking center in the heart of Newtown in January 2024. Carlos Yancy, Business Development Specialist and a third generation Newtown resident, is a founding member of the Newtown Family Center and serves on its Steering Committee.
We thank Bay First National Bank for hosting our planning meetings and their staff’s warm hospitality and support.
SRQ Strong’s vision is to create a community that cares for itself. This growing group of Sarasota County neighbors is committed to promoting community-wide trauma awareness through healing, education, action, and leadership.
We thank SRQ Strong for its partnership and support with outreach and community engagement. SRQ Strong is facilitating the Neighborhood Expert training by Father Paul Abernathy of the Neighborhood Resilience Project.
Dreamers Academy is a dual language immersion public charter school serving children from Kindergarten through 8th grade. The school’s mission is to develop bilingual, biliterate, and cross-cultural leaders of character within a caring environment that encourages family engagement and celebrates America.
We thank Dreamers Academy for leveraging the time, expertise and development resources alongside their middle school expansion on Leonard Reid to co-design the Newtown Family Center with our community.
Since 1995, Gulf Coast Community Foundation has powered bold philanthropy and collaborative leadership to drive meaningful change across our region. Together with its donors, GCCF has invested more than $610 million in health and human services, education, civic & economic development, arts & culture, and the environment.
We thank GCCF for its generous contribution to fund community outreach efforts aimed at increasing Newtown residents’ engagement in the co-design of our Newtown Family Center. We also thank Jennifer Johnston, Director of Community Leadership at GCCF, for completing our Trauma-Informed Community Development training alongside 26 residents of Newtown.
