NEWS RELEASE
November 3, 2026
For immediate release
Media contact: Cara Scarola Hansen
Center for Child Counseling Public Relations Counsel
[email protected]

Center for Child Counseling and Partners Champion Early Relationships for Lifelong Well-Being

Center for Child Counseling, in partnership with Opportunity Early Childhood Education & Family Center, hosted Celebrate Babies on Friday, October 23, 2026. The event brought together expectant parents, families with babies and young children from birth to age five, and community organizations for a morning focused on giving every child the strongest possible start in life.

This year’s theme, “The First Relationship: Where It All Begins,” focused on the small, everyday interactions between children and their caregivers that help build resilience and lifelong well-being.

The morning featured a keynote presentation by Caley Kukla, M.Ed., parent educator, child development specialist and Certified PLAY Project Instructor. Kukla offered parents and caregivers practical strategies for understanding and responding to their children, demonstrating how everyday moments—sharing a smile, comforting a crying baby or engaging in back-and-forth interaction—can strengthen connection and support healthy development.

The event also featured community resource tables, bringing local organizations that serve young families together in one place, including: Florida Association for Infant Mental Health, HelpMeGrow Florida, Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County, Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County, and ABA Centers of Florida. Parents left with valuable information, connections, and tools. 

By supporting healthy relationships from the very beginning, Center for Child Counseling and its community partners are working to build stronger children, families, and communities.

Center for Child Counseling’s Celebrate Babies initiative is made possible thanks to the support of a private family foundation. 

For more information on Center for Child Counseling and resources for supporting children, visit centerforchildcounseling.og. 

PHOTO IDs:

Photo credit: Tracey Benson Photography 

001: Caley Kukla, Dominika Nolan
002: Caley Kukla presents at Center for Child Counseling’s Celebrate Babies event on October 23, 2026.
003, 004, 005, 006, 007: Mothers and their babies at Center for Child Counseling’s Celebrate Babies event on October 23, 2026.
008, 009, 010, 011: Children up to five years old attended the Celebrate Babies event which featured various activities and resource tables for them and their parents.

ABOUT CENTER FOR CHILD COUNSELING:
Center for Child Counseling has been building the foundation for playful, healthful, and hopeful living for children and families in Palm Beach County since 1999. The Center supports thousands of children each year, providing counseling, education, prevention, and training that help children heal from adversity, build resilience, and thrive–while strengthening the adults and systems that surround and support them every day. www.centerforchildcounseling.org Twitter: @ChildCounselPBC Facebook: @CenterforChildCounseling Instagram: @childcounselpbc

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