Quality First supports Arizona’s child care providers so they can support our young children.
Quality First, a program of Arizona’s early childhood agency, First Things First, supports Arizona’s child care and preschool providers in enhancing the quality of their programs to benefit young children. Quality First helps over 1,100 regulated programs statewide support infants, toddlers and preschoolers, ensuring they are ready for success in school and beyond.
Why quality matters
From birth to age 5, your child’s brain grows faster than at any other time in life, forming essential connections for learning. These early connections, crucial for skills like motivation, self-regulation and problem-solving, are shaped by positive interactions with caring adults at home and in child care or preschool.
Quality improvement
Many child care centers, home-based providers and preschools participating in Quality First receive support to help improve their programs and nurture every child’s emotional, social and academic development. First Things First provides this support to programs enrolled in Quality First through:
- Coaching and professional development to enhance staff skills and support children’s learning.
- Funding for quality early learning, including age-appropriate books, toys, learning materials and improvements to classrooms and outdoor spaces. Expert guidance on child health to promote healthy development.
- Additional support in mental health and special needs in some programs.
Across Arizona, more than 1,400 regulated child care and preschool programs are star-rated, including 1,100+ that receive quality improvement support. No matter the level of support they receive, all programs participating in Quality First are committed to providing quality care.
About the Quality First Star Ratings
Quality First conducts observations to measure program quality, resulting in a rating of 1 to 5 stars. Quality standards are based on what research shows is important in early care and education.
- Health and safety practices that promote children’s basic well-being
- Skilled teachers who know how to turn everyday experiences into learning moments
- Learning environments with age-appropriate activities, books, toys and other learning materials that promote emotional, social, language and cognitive development
- Opportunities for active play and hands-on exploration throughout the day
- Teacher-child interactions and engaging conversations that build language and promote thinking and social skills
Quality First star rating certificates are posted at the program’s location and public ratings are posted on this website. Participating programs that show “Rating Unavailable” on the website either do not have a public rating or have not completed the rating process. All programs are assessed every two years.
- Rising Star (1-star): These programs are typically beginning their quality improvement journey and are committed to progress.
- Progressing Star (2-star): These programs are nearing quality standards, meeting some and working toward consistency.
- Quality (3-star): These programs meet established quality standards.
- Quality Plus (4-star): These programs exceed quality standards and demonstrate many high-quality practices.
- Highest Quality (5-star): These programs significantly exceed quality standards and consistently maintain high-quality practices.
Regardless of their current rating, all early care and education providers in Quality First are committed to ongoing quality improvement. The standards are high, and reaching the quality levels can take some time.
Star ratings are just one of several factors to consider in finding the right program for your family’s needs. Many quality early care and education programs in Arizona are not enrolled in Quality First. Use the Quality Child Care Checklist to help find the provider that is right for your family.