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First Things Blog

Information and inspiration for parents and caregivers of babies, toddlers and preschoolers

Baby-Child-Care

Quality First helps prepare kids for school success

  • Quality First

More than 1,000 child care and preschool programs in Arizona participate in Quality First, a voluntary program to improve the quality of early learning in ways…

child crawling

Track your child’s developmental milestones

  • child development

From birth to 5 years, your child should reach milestones in how he plays, learns, speaks, acts and moves. Track your child’s development and act early if…

young child playing with simple toys

Best toys and gifts for young kids

  • play

Check out our interactive guide to free or inexpensive gifts that promote learning for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. (The best gift of all is quality time…

baby girl sitting up looking for a hug

Parenting is hard. Help is a phone call away with the Birth to Five Helpline.

  • parenting

The Birth to Five Helpline is a free service open to all Arizona families of young children. Experts are available to answer any parenting questions.

tummy time tips to help your baby grow strong

Tummy time tips to help your baby grow strong

  • infants

Want to support your baby’s physical development? The answer is Tummy Time!

Start building a love of math and science early in life

  • early learning

Activities such as finger painting, building blocks and baking are fun and interactive ways to build science and math skills in young kids.

teacher-child interactions are key to quality child care

Quality child care: 6 things to look for in teacher-child interactions

  • child care

Teacher-child interactions that are stimulating and nurturing are an essential part of quality child care programs. Check out our 1-minute video for what to…

Pediatricians say baby walkers are unsafe

Doctors say baby walkers are not safe, don’t help development

  • safety

Baby walkers are advertised as fun for young children, but pediatricians say they’re dangerous.

Young child with glasses plays with parents

Podcast: Eyes on Learning

  • health & nutrition

Healthy vision is important for a child’s development and learning. But children don’t know what they can’t see.

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