Arizona’s early childhood agency represents a commitment Arizonans made to our youngest children – that they would have the support they need to start school healthy and ready to succeed. Many young children in Arizona face significant barriers to their success, including poverty, trauma and lack of access to needed resources.
61,377
Population of young children (under age 6)
34%
Percentage of young children living in poverty
Priorities
The Phoenix South Regional Partnership Council makes strategic investments to support the healthy development and learning of the young children in the region. The regional council’s priorities include:
- Providing scholarships for children to access high-quality early learning settings
- Improving quality and access to child care and preschool programs
- Strengthening and supporting families through voluntary home visiting and family resource centers
Regional Key Impact Highlights
[State Fiscal Year 2024]
Strengthening Families and Early Literacy
- 2563 parents and caregivers attended community-based language and literacy workshops. This number includes parents and caregivers who may have attended more than one workshop
- 3966 families or caregivers served by receiving referrals or by participating in activities at family resource centers
Quality Preschool and Child Care
- 155 child care and preschool providers were committed to continuous quality improvement of their early learning programs through Quality First
- 6813 children attended preschools and child care programs participating in Quality First
Preventive Health
- 137 early childhood educators received child care health consultation or support in maintaining health and safety standards in early learning settings
- 554 children were monitored to receive appropriate screenings to detect vision, hearing and developmental issues to prevent learning challenges later on
State Fiscal Year 2024 Total Regional Program Expenditures
| Quality and Access | $8,519,259 |
| Family Support | $4,346,455 |
| Health | $1,291,944 |
| Evaluation | $384,258 |
| Community Awareness | $121,700 |
| Total | $14,663,616 |
First Things First Staff
Annette Sutfin
Sr. Director, Phoenix/GRIC Regional Area
Regional Office
