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Innovation + Mission

MILA Program – Innovation in Protective Education (2021 & 2022)
With support from the Alabama Council on Developmental Disabilities, we created the MILA Program to help individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities learn about healthy boundaries and how to recognize inappropriate touch. The program filled a gap in community-based safety education. While there was strong interest, we found that many communities weren’t quite ready to have these important but uncomfortable conversations—highlighting the ongoing need for education and support.
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Please see below for a selection of public awareness materials produced as a result of the MILA Program.
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Video-based Parenting Material
Coastal Family Partners offers the Active Parenting: First Five Years program, an innovative, evidence-based curriculum designed to support parents of children from birth to age five. This engaging series includes professionally produced video content to spark discussion and strengthen understanding of key parenting concepts. With a focus on building strong foundations early, the program blends interactive learning with practical strategies for positive discipline, communication, and nurturing development.

LENA Start! Mobile
Promoting Early Language Through Innovation (2022 & 2023)
Our organization implemented the LENA Start program, a research-based initiative designed to strengthen school readiness by increasing early language exposure. Using wearable technology embedded in a soft vest, the program captures the quantity of words and conversational turns between caregivers and children—without recording the actual content. It also detects extended periods of white noise, such as background TV or device use, which can limit meaningful interaction. Paired with a 10-session curriculum and individualized feedback, LENA Start empowers parents to build language-rich routines through everyday moments.

Cross-Sector Professional Development
Bringing staff and partners together for joint training is an innovative way we build collective skill and consistency across service delivery. Instead of traditional, siloed learning, these sessions — like our recent one on conflict — foster collaboration and shared problem-solving, improving how we support families as a unified team.
