First Things First partners with families and communities to help our state’s youngest children prepare for kindergarten and beyond.
Many young children in Arizona face challenges that threaten their healthy development and learning. In the Navajo/Apache Region, there are 6,166 children (under age 6) with 30% living in poverty.
Here is how FTF is working to support young children and their families in this region.
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“Early childhood intervention is an essential step in supporting our youngest community members. This is the key to ensuring that intentional intervention, as early as possible, will prevent or lessen the complications as the child grows and matures.” Heather Gray |
Navajo/Apache Regional Key Impact Highlights
[Fiscal Year 2020]
896 Families of newborns received the Arizona Parent Kit, filled with tips and tools to help support their child’s healthy development.
190 Adults attended parenting activities to learn more about the importance of early childhood development.
103 Children attended preschools and child care programs participating in Quality First.
47 Children birth to age 5 received a Quality First scholarship to attend high-quality preschools and child care programs.
2,119 Children monitored to receive appropriate screenings to detect vision, hearing and developmental issues to prevent learning challenges later on.
1,151 Books were given to families with children ages birth to 5 years to encourage parent-child interactions and reading.
11 Infants and toddlers involved with the child welfare system benefitted from coordinated efforts to meet their unique developmental needs.
Navajo/Apache Family Story
Quality First scholarship in Show Low helps shy 3-year-old boy socially prepare for kindergarten
Alex and April Gage realized a lifelong dream of opening a business together as husband and wife in May 2019. As the owners of Play Date, an indoor play center for children, they faced balancing caring for their 3-year-old son, Levi, and working more than 40 hours a week.
They knew Levi needed preschool. He struggled with shyness and needed help learning how to socialize with other children and teachers to get ready for kindergarten.
Read moreFTF Navajo/Apache Regional Partnership Council
SFY20 Total Regional Program Expenditures
The FTF Navajo/Apache Regional Partnership Council is made up of volunteers who study the unique needs of the local community and decide how funds should be used to best support the healthy development and early learning of young children birth to age 5. FTF invests in proven programs and innovative strategies through grants to community organizations that provide services to children and families. Some of the programs in this region include Early Childhood Learning Collaboratives, Summit Healthy Steps and North Country Healthcare HealthySteps.
| Preventive Health | $624,392 | 46% |
| Quality Care and Preschool | $236,717 | 17% |
| Strengthening Families | $177,219 | 13% |
| Workforce Development and Training | $176,298 | 13% |
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Parent and Community Awareness |
$87,096 | 6% |
| Research and Evaluation | $43,206 | 3% |
| TOTAL |
$1,344,927 |
The FTF Navajo/Apache Region encompasses the central areas of Navajo and Apache counties, excluding the lands belonging to the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe in the north and the land belonging to the White Mountain Apache Tribe in the south. The region also includes the Forest Lakes community in Coconino County, east of Heber-Overgaard. The region does not include the city of Winslow, which is in Navajo County but is assigned to the FTF Coconino Region. The FTF Navajo/ Apache Region includes Legislative Districts 6 and 7. (Legislative districts are not necessarily congruent with regional boundaries.)