Region Stories

These stories illustrate how early childhood programs and services funded by First Things First make a difference for young children and families in communities across Arizona.

Sherie Gifford is the 2024 Champion for the Yavapai Region

November 18, 2024
champion Yavapai Champion for Young Children

Sherie Gifford is the program manager at Little Learners through High Country Early Intervention dba Karen A. Fay in Prescott. Read More

Nogales mother learns how to prepare her daughter for kindergarten

8/4/2017
family support

Yesenia’s baby daughter Melanie was only 18 days old when her mother enrolled in the Healthy Families Arizona program in Nogales.She was already a mom to…

Nogales kindergartner finds success at family resource center

8/4/2017
family support

It was a random visit to a neighborhood park where Jessica Fierro first learned about the Nogales Family Resource Center.A conversation with another parent…

Pinal brothers use Fun Van to prepare for kindergarten

8/4/2017
literacy

Eli Macias was a quiet 3 year old from Casa Grande when he started participating in the First Things First-funded mobile literacy program called Fun Van. Soon,…

Parents As Teachers shows Cochise County mom how to teach son independence

8/4/2017
family support

First-time mom Athena Reynolds was looking for a support system.“I was clueless,” Reynolds said, thinking back to when her son Alexander was born. “I…

Oro Valley family builds confidence in role as their child’s first teacher

8/4/2017
family support

Angie Hitt had been an elementary school teacher for eight years before she had her first child. She enrolled in the Parents as Teachers home visiting…

Family resource center empowers Phoenix boy to find independence

8/4/2017
Phoenix South

Felicitas Padron of Phoenix assumed that her children’s learning started with their kindergarten teacher. The mother of three learned otherwise at the…

Resource center helps Phoenix mother prepare her daughter socially and academically for school

8/3/2017
family support

On most days, Gaby Acosta refills the snack machines throughout various schools in the Washington Elementary School District in Phoenix as part of her…

Support for Holbrook grandparents raising grandchildren

8/3/2017
tribal

Cathy Grant’s grandson had a rough start in life.When he and his younger sister came to live with Grant, Jacob was almost 4. Yet, he had speech delays and…

Healthy Steps helps Joseph City preschooler find help to be successful in school

8/3/2017
school readiness

Around the time that Sherri McCollan’s daughter Carmen turned 4 years old, she began to notice some changes in her daughter’s personality. McCollan…

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