A First Things First-led early childhood task force in Gila County is helping expand child care capacity in the southern part of the county, which includes the mining communities of Globe and Miami.
The Southern Gila Early Childhood Task Force, which includes community leaders, local government and workforce development partners, is currently working on an initiative that seeks to expand professional development opportunities for child care providers in the community.
“One key initiative currently underway is the development of an early childhood workforce pipeline to address the estimated 60% child care shortage in Gila County,” said FTF Gila Regional Specialist Victoria Marin.
Earlier this year, the local community college began exploring an Early Childhood Education Associate of Arts degree program and is expected to launch in spring 2027. Gila Community College leadership is also working with Arizona State University to align a future associate degree with the university’s Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education, creating a seamless educational pathway for students pursuing careers in the field, Marin said.
“This opportunity is especially significant because rural Gila County does not currently have a local university offering bachelor’s degree programs, making the community college the primary higher education institution serving county residents,” she said.
The task force’s initiatives reflect the systems work First Things First is doing in communities across Arizona to build a shared understanding of the importance of early childhood education, along with the challenges that families and communities face when child care opportunities are scarce.
This is especially true in communities like Globe-Miami, which can feel isolated from larger metropolitan areas and struggle with finding qualified staff.
“People who live here understand the region and the area,” said Pam Trobaugh, an FTF Gila regional council and task force member. “A lot of times they know the families and they know the needs of the community.”
One focus is creating local opportunities for early childhood providers to gain classroom experience.
“We talk about, ‘Where can (early childhood education) students go to get their hours and they don’t have to travel?” Trobaugh said. “Even if they go out of town for college, it’s important that they be able to come back and find work here.”
Members have discussed opening a child care center in Globe, which would let early childhood students earn their professional development hours without traveling outside the community.
“Ideally, we would want people to work here, raise their families here and have everything they need here,” said FTF Gila Regional Council Chair Kayla Van Cleve. She is also on the task force. “The advantage of having teachers from here is they understand the community and they have established relationships with families.”
As executive director of the Southern Gila County Economic Development Corporation, Van Cleve knows that having local child care available for employees of major employers in the area and for attracting new businesses is critical.
“It would benefit our local economy greatly to have some kind of child care available for those who work shift work,” she said. The Globe area has several mining companies, along with the local hospital, where employees are needed 24 hours a day.
Van Cleve points to conversations task force members are having with businesses in the area and the college and university.
“Businesses are really invested in creating local child care opportunities,” she said. “Lots of things are happening and lining up. ASU has been successful in producing (K-12) teachers for our community. Now, they’re willing to come in and help with early childhood teachers. It’s a perfect storm in the best way.”
