We recently connected with Erica Gaines and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Erica, thanks for joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

When I mention the year 2020, we all remember that was the time that we sprayed our grocery bags with disinfectant ; our children were doing gymnastics practice in the backyard on zoom; graduations were online; and the mask that restricted breathing became our reality. I’m sure you will say I recall that time. Well having a Masters Degree in Public Health I recognize all the prevention tools were set in motion, yet unfamiliar with the public immediately I recalled the countless lectures where my professors shared history that we were currently experiencing.
I remembered become the spokesperson to explain everything that was going on. Although I did not have all the answer, I took great pride in educating everyone who would hear about public health measures. Of course, my favorite conversations were with children. It was so fun to explain how the body works and why we needed to protect ourselves with mask and washing our hands. I also loved sharing the roles of public health officials that were working so hard on the local to the national level to put in measure in place to keep our community safe. Although, we lost so many family and friends, including myself, I knew the impact that public health scientists would eventually have once we all understood… “follow the guidance.”
I had a aha moment. I wanted to make a difference. A year later Public Health 4 Kidz Production was born.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Erica Gaines. I have a Masters Degree from Armstrong Atlantic State University. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science from Georgia Southern University. I absolutely love giraffes. My career journey in public health was non traditional. I spent time working with children with mental health. I taught middle and high school science. And then, I worked as a community relations representative. All roads lead me to this beautiful point of becoming the owner of Public Health 4 Kidz. PH4KZ is a health science lab that gives students from Pre-K through College to learn about Public Health through hands-on experiences in classes, media, internships, and outreach. Each semester we have public health students from all over the world to apply to gain there internship experience. As of today, in the past 3 years, we’ve had over 200 students to apply for our program. This has become a competitive program for students to gain the practicing experience. We currently conduct 1-hr Mega Labs with our partnership in the school system. We teach health science in fun, hands-on way. We
bring science 1-hour labs to community events, camps, and groups. The unique thing about our company, our students lead health promotion. This is done in our pH4KZ magazine, science videos on our YouTube channel PH4KZ TV, and our online club called Club EBEEA.
I am most proud of my students. Sometimes the complexity of the subject could be overwhelming, but when our students “get it” and share how much they enjoyed there experience at Public Health 4 Kidz is most rewarding.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Often times those in public health voice there passion for the field, but the challenges could be cumbersome. I knew that coming into community with my colleagues in public health will inspire excitement when we have an opportunity to make children lives better. So, I reached out to Facebook groups and was surprised out the outpouring support. I was pleased to be a resource for those searching for a remote internship. I would definitely advise those starting to build a social media presence is to find your audience, be a resource, and engage regularly.

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

I reminded myself that I am 1st a public health educator. As a public health educator, I ask myself before a commit to outreach, will this connection be beneficial for someone “Becoming Public Health.” If yes. Let’s go for it.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.publichealth4kidzproduction.com
• Instagram: Publichealth4kidz
• Facebook: Publichealth4kidzproduction
• Linkedin: Publichealth4kidzproduction
• Youtube: Publichealth4kidzTV