Partner Partner Content JWB’s Turbo Babies makes parents their child’s first and best teachers

The first three years of a child’s life can shape everything that follows.

Turbo Babies, a free program from the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB) of Pinellas County, is focused on this significant period in early childhood development. 

“We were presented with the jaw-dropping statistic that 80 percent of brain growth occurs in the first three years of life,” says JWB Associate Manager of Marketing Elicia Hinson. “The board decided to do something to support this crucial time in life and equip parents with the tools to encourage their baby’s healthy brain development.”

During that time, a staggering one million new neural connections form every second in babies’ 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.

Creating connections

Instead of expensive gadgets or educational subscriptions, Turbo Babies offers families free “Pit Crew” bags filled with books, toys, and brain-building activities designed to create meaningful interaction between caregivers and children.

“Turbo Babies promotes early connections, nurtures a baby’s drive to learn, and promotes parents as their child’s first and best teacher,” Hinson notes.

JWB fuels Turbo Babies and offers this resource at no cost to families. 

“Every 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,” Hinson says.

As tablets and smartphones become part of daily life at increasingly younger ages, Turbo Babies offers a timely reminder that a parent’s voice remains a baby’s greatest learning tool.

“As 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,” Hinson says.

She hopes the program offers parents a reassuring takeaway. 

“They are their child’s best content creator, not someone online,” Hinson adds. “Simply talking about the baby’s day and describing the world around them is one of the best things a caregiver can do to help strengthen those early connections.”

Helping parents keep pace with technology

JWB has partnered with Parent ProTech, an educational platform that helps families navigate today’s rapidly changing digital landscape. The firm launched in 2021 to ensure parents don’t get left behind by fast-evolving technology, according to co-founder and CEO Brock Murphy. 

“Kids are growing up online faster than the adults around them can keep up,” Murphy comments. “Parent 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.”

The collaboration with JWB began in 2025.

“Together, we have provided Pinellas County families with free access to Parent ProTech’s resources, helping parents better understand the technologies their children use daily and equipping them with practical tools to foster safer, healthier digital habits,” Murphy notes.

The big takeaway is that parents do not need to become IT specialists to support their children. 

“Technology isn’t going away,” Murphy says. “It’s becoming more integrated into every aspect of our children’s lives. Parents don’t 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.”

JWB also collaborated with Parent ProTech to help parents and caregivers understand what builds their baby’s brain in the first three years – 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’s cues or needs.

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’s brain-building activities woven into her early years. 

“Her vocabulary is off the meters,” Parrish, 36, says. “This is one of the greatest benefits of Turbo Babies that I’ve seen. When she was developmentally supposed to say only 10 words, she was naming every person she came in contact with, animals and objects… I recommend this program to everyone because you want your child to be ahead of all the new technology and to succeed.”

Murphy hopes one message resonates above all others.

“Young children’s brains are built through real-world interaction,” he says. “Eye 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’s earliest years.”

Hinson hopes Turbo Babies eases the pressure many new parents feel.

“Parents want to give their babies the best start, but the advice out there can feel overwhelming,” she says. “Turbo Babies turns early brain science into easy-to-use tips that can be done any time, any place, anywhere. There’s no pressure to be the perfect parent, just a chance to unlock the power of play.”

Expanding the reach

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. 

“This is such an important window in a child’s life, and parents don’t have to navigate it alone,” Hinson says. “If you’re curious about how small, everyday choices, like screen time, can shape your baby’s growing brain, take a few minutes to watch the video. You will come away seeing just how powerful your voice, your attention, and your presence truly are.”

Murphy says the partnership is ultimately about proactively preventing harm.

“We’re grateful for our ability to serve families in Pinellas County and hope to continue expanding across the state of Florida and around the country,” he says. “ 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’ve won.”

To receive free educational gifts and resources, sign up with Turbo Babies to join the Pit Crew or email turbobabies@jwbpinellas.org.  

Go to JWB’s Parent Protech for a free one-year digital safety subscription, or learn more at JWB Pinellas.