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Turbo Babies \u201cPit Crew\u201d bags are filled with books, toys, and brain-building activities. (JWB)<\/p>\n Turbo Babies \u201cPit Crew\u201d bags are filled with books, toys, and brain-building activities. (JWB)<\/p>\n
The first three years of a child\u2019s life can shape everything that follows.<\/p>\n
Turbo Babies, a free program from the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) of Pinellas County, is focused on this significant period in early childhood development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were presented with the jaw-dropping statistic that 80 percent of brain growth occurs in the first three years of life,\u201d says JWB Associate Manager of Marketing Elicia Hinson. \u201cThe board decided to do something to support this crucial time in life and equip parents with the tools to encourage their baby\u2019s healthy brain development.\u201d<\/p>\n
During that time, a staggering one million new neural connections form every second in babies\u2019 brains. Rather than overwhelming parents with complicated science, Turbo Babies translates research into four simple habits, which families can practice daily: tune in, talk and repeat, take turns, and take time. It steers parents bombarded with advice, apps, and endless online content back to something far more basic and powerful: human connection.<\/p>\n
Creating connections<\/p>\n
Instead of expensive gadgets or educational subscriptions, Turbo Babies offers families free \u201cPit Crew\u201d bags filled with books, toys, and brain-building activities designed to create meaningful interaction between caregivers and children.<\/p>\n
\u201cTurbo Babies promotes early connections, nurtures a baby\u2019s drive to learn, and promotes parents as their child\u2019s first and best teacher,\u201d Hinson notes.<\/p>\n
JWB fuels Turbo Babies and offers this resource at no cost to families.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery resource, every tip, every tool is available to every parent or person in a caregiving role because we believe every child deserves a strong start,\u201d Hinson says.<\/p>\n
As tablets and smartphones become part of daily life at increasingly younger ages, Turbo Babies offers a timely reminder that a parent\u2019s voice remains a baby\u2019s greatest learning tool.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we raise our children in a world full of screens, digital influences and AI, we want parents to feel empowered and confident to help their babies learn and succeed,\u201d Hinson says.<\/p>\n
She hopes the program offers parents a reassuring takeaway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are their child\u2019s best content creator, not someone online,\u201d Hinson adds. \u201cSimply talking about the baby\u2019s day and describing the world around them is one of the best things a caregiver can do to help strengthen those early connections.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helping parents keep pace with technology<\/p>\n
JWB has partnered with Parent ProTech, an educational platform that helps families navigate today\u2019s rapidly changing digital landscape. The firm launched in 2021 to ensure parents don\u2019t get left behind by fast-evolving technology, according to co-founder and CEO Brock Murphy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cKids are growing up online faster than the adults around them can keep up,\u201d Murphy comments. \u201cParent ProTech closes that gap, giving parents and communities the training and tools to guide and prepare kids through social media, AI and future developments, without requiring them to be tech experts.\u201d<\/p>\n
The collaboration with JWB began in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cTogether, we have provided Pinellas County families with free access to Parent ProTech\u2019s resources, helping parents better understand the technologies their children use daily and equipping them with practical tools to foster safer, healthier digital habits,\u201d Murphy notes.<\/p>\n
The big takeaway is that parents do not need to become IT specialists to support their children.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTechnology isn\u2019t going away,\u201d Murphy says. \u201cIt\u2019s becoming more integrated into every aspect of our children\u2019s lives. Parents don\u2019t need to become technology experts, but they do need trusted guidance. This program helps parents stay informed, start meaningful conversations, establish healthy boundaries, and proactively address challenges before they become crises.\u201d<\/p>\n
JWB also collaborated with Parent ProTech to help parents and caregivers understand what builds their baby\u2019s brain in the first three years \u2013 and how screens can either support or interrupt that growth. Babies need human contact to build their brains because screens cannot truly interact, talk back, or respond to a baby\u2019s cues or needs.<\/p>\n
Monica Parrish agrees. She heard about Turbo Babies from a few people in the community and has used the resources with her daughter, Maylani, since birth. Maylani, now two, has the program\u2019s brain-building activities woven into her early years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHer vocabulary is off the meters,\u201d Parrish, 36, says. \u201cThis is one of the greatest benefits of Turbo Babies that I\u2019ve seen. When she was developmentally supposed to say only 10 words, she was naming every person she came in contact with, animals and objects\u2026 I recommend this program to everyone because you want your child to be ahead of all the new technology and to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Murphy hopes one message resonates above all others.<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung children\u2019s brains are built through real-world interaction,\u201d he says. \u201cEye contact, conversation, physical play, reading together and unstructured exploration all help develop critical language, social and emotional skills. While technology can be a useful tool, it should never replace the face-to-face relationships and experiences that are essential for healthy brain development in a child\u2019s earliest years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hinson hopes Turbo Babies eases the pressure many new parents feel.<\/p>\n
\u201cParents want to give their babies the best start, but the advice out there can feel overwhelming,\u201d she says. \u201cTurbo Babies turns early brain science into easy-to-use tips that can be done any time, any place, anywhere. There\u2019s no pressure to be the perfect parent, just a chance to unlock the power of play.\u201d<\/p>\n
Expanding the reach<\/p>\n
Turbo Babies is expanding its reach to include preschools across Pinellas County, and has collaborated with Parent ProTech on a video exploring how simple, screen-free human interactions like tuning in, talking and repeating, and taking turns are the best tools for early brain development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is such an important window in a child\u2019s life, and parents don\u2019t have to navigate it alone,\u201d Hinson says. \u201cIf you\u2019re curious about how small, everyday choices, like screen time, can shape your baby\u2019s growing brain, take a few minutes to watch the video<\/a>. You will come away seeing just how powerful your voice, your attention, and your presence truly are.\u201d<\/p>\n Murphy says the partnership is ultimately about proactively preventing harm.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re grateful for our ability to serve families in Pinellas County and hope to continue expanding across the state of Florida and around the country,\u201d he says. \u201c If we can prevent just one kid from being cyberbullied, or just one from being trafficked, or even one from getting addicted to a screen, then we\u2019ve won.\u201d<\/p>\n To receive free educational gifts and resources, sign up with Turbo Babies to join the Pit Crew<\/a> or email turbobabies@jwbpinellas.org<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Go to JWB\u2019s Parent Protech<\/a> for a free one-year digital safety subscription, or learn more at JWB Pinellas<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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