Welcome from The Executive Director
Forty Carrots Family Center was founded with a singular purpose – strengthening families, the foundation of any community. Since 1993, it has been an honor and my privilege to watch that happen. Whether the family is a teenage mom and her baby at one of our On Wheels sites, or a professional couple sending their little ones to our NAEYC accredited preschool, Forty Carrots is here to offer information, skills and support. Welcome to our growing family…I invite you to put down roots.
About Betsy Kane-Hartnett, Executive Director
Betsy Kane-Hartnett graduated from Cornell University in 1975 with a major in Human Development and Family Studies. Two years later she earned her Masters Degree from Columbia University's Teachers College in Curriculum Design. After several years of teaching preschool and “Mommy & Me” classes, Betsy opened The Sage School for Nursery Years in Bedford Hills, New York.
In 1989, she relocated to Sarasota and shortly thereafter, was hired to be the Preschool Director of a nationally accredited Early Childhood Learning Center. It was there she met Diane Weiss. After three years of working side-by-side, they co-founded Forty Carrots Family Center - a non-profit agency dedicated to serving the community by strengthening families through educational programs for parents, their children, and professionals in the field.
As executive director, Betsy has helped Forty Carrots support thousands of families since 1993. Betsy has presented workshops such as What Should I Say: Confronting Taboo Subjects, Delivering Difficult Messages, Engaging Cooperation, Praise and Encouragement, Sparking Creativity, Classroom Management & Curriculum Planning at the national, state and local level. Her essays have appeared in local magazines.
Betsy has been married to her husband, John, for 30 years and is the proud mother of 3 grown children. In their free time, they enjoy a second home in Napa Valley where John tends his vineyard and makes wine.
