Spooky Symphony Returns for 13th Year of Scary Fun

Free, in-person concert to take place on Oct. 30

Halloween for parents can be a headache. All the candy, the mischievous pranks and safety concerns sometimes mean parents and caregivers have to go on high alert with their children instead of enjoying the festivities and treats. But not every Halloween activity has to be stressful. That’s where Spooky Symphony takes center stage, literally. 

The 13th annual Trust-sponsored concert - which even persevered through the pandemic with a virtual performance- returns Oct. 30 to provide a wholesome and fun chance for kids, parents and caregivers to enjoy the holiday without worrying about its many distractions. The event is a one-hour free performance of great music for young listeners by Greater Miami Youth Symphony and the Alhambra Orchestra featuring movie themes from Jurassic Park, Gladiator and the Avenger sagas, plus Broadway music from Wicked, and dramatic showpieces with eerie themes including Danse Macabre.

Birds and Bees from Toddler to Teens

How to have the (ongoing) talk

With the shifting political currents and fluid nature of sex education, do you really want to rely only on the school system to teach your children such important information? Or that precocious classmate on the Everglades field trip? From birth control to abstinence, you can’t share your values if you don’t talk about them. 

Experts advise parents to talk honestly with their children about human sexuality as young as preschool to become a go-to source of information, which will facilitate more difficult dialogue later and help teens make healthy decisions for their wellbeing and safety. From reading an American Girl book on puberty to answering where babies come from, here are tips to gently broach sensitive topics. And if you’re wishing you read this a decade earlier, it’s never too late to ease into these delicate (and awkward) conversations-which can actually be positive!

Trust Partners with Department of Defense for Child Care to Military Families

Thrive by 5 Initiative used as a statewide model to increase early learning opportunities

The Children’s Trust and US Department of Defense (DoD) are partnering to expand access to military families in need of high-quality child care opportunities for their children. The Trust’s Thrive by 5 initiative continues to be a state-wide model when it comes to early childhood development and many Trust-funded child care providers will now be part of the DoD’s Military Child Care in Your Neighborhood Plus (MCCYN-Plus) program that provides off-installation child care for military families in Miami-Dade.

The Children’s Trust recognizes the importance of early brain development and its impact on later life success and invests in strategies to support young children’s physical, cognitive, social and emotional readiness for starting school. By partnering with The Trust, the DoD can connect military families with a provider network whose quality standards are higher than the minimum licensing requirements. 

Community Leaders Celebrate Trust's 20th Anniversary at HistoryMiami

Year-long celebration kicks off with exhibition reception

Trying to encapsulate two decades of work into a single celebratory event is a challenge in the best of cases. But The Children’s Trust is used to facing long odds and succeeding in overcoming them. On Sept. 10, The Trust held a special reception celebrating its 20th Anniversary and launching a HistoryMiami Museum exhibit telling the story of The Trust, while hundreds of children played nearby as they enjoyed Family Fun Day at the museum. 

It was a fitting ceremony that brought together community leaders, child advocates, elected officials and other important figures in the history of The Trust to reflect on the impact that the organization has had on Miami-Dade County’s children and families.