Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade

Ready to sign up for the 2nd Annual Give Miami 5K? Click here to register for the 5K while space is still available! 
And don't forget to select 'Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade' as your chosen nonprofit organization at checkout. 

For a moment, picture a precious infant sleeping safely in their crib, or a giggling baby snugly buckled into their car seat. Properly fitted car seats and portable cribs are simple but highly effective safety items that can prevent so many avoidable infant deaths in Miami-Dade County. (1)

In 2024 alone, 947 Sudden Unexpected Infant Deaths (SUID) were due to accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed. (2) Data also shows that “Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading killers of children, contributing to these sad statistics is the fact that nearly a third of children ride in the wrong restraints for their age and size and four out of five child safety seats are used incorrectly.” (3)  

While every parent longs to provide this security, many in our community lack the financial resources or essential safety education to do so. Can you imagine a world where accidental infant deaths caused by unsafe sleep environments or incorrect car seat usage simply do not exist? 

While the Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade (HSCMD) recognizes the need families face and continues our commitment to ensure infant safety, we need your help to reach every baby. 

That is why we are extremely excited to announce that HSCMD is once again participating in Give Miami Day! This 6-day fundraiser of virtual generosity hosted by The Miami Foundation only happens once a year. This year, our fundraising supports a specific initiative which provides free car seats, portable cribs and safety education to families participating in our Home Visitation Programs.

Your donations from last year(4) directly supported families in our community:

• 173 babies secured in properly fitting car seats
• 309 babies sleeping safely in new portable cribs
• 327+ hours of safety education delivered to parents

Want to change lives with us? Here are two simple ways you can get involved:

• Donate to HSCMD during Give Miami Day: You can give anytime between Saturday, November 14th, and Thursday, November 19th.
• Spread the word: Follow us on social media to learn how you can share our mission with others.

Your support is crucial to solving this tragic, preventable problem. Please consider making a donation to help save infant lives—every dollar makes a difference. Thank you for helping us keep babies safe in our communities!

NOTES:

1. "Preventing Child Passenger Injury." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, www.cdc.gov/child-passenger-safety/prevention/index.html. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.
2. “Sudden Unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.” Data and Statistics for SUID and SIDS, 2026, 13 Aug. 2026, https://www.cdc.gov/sudden-infant-death/data-research/data/index.html
   
   
3. "Car Seat Safety." Nicklaus Children's Hospital, 25 June 2021, www.nicklauschildrens.org/patient-resources/health-and-safety-information/car-seat-safety. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026
4. Distributed between January 1, 2026 - September 30, 2026.