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Imagining an Arizona Without a Child Care Gap

Picture this: Parents dropping off their children at safe, reliable child care before heading to work. Children spend their day building school readiness skills alongside their peers. Businesses are filling open positions because more… Read More

Children Gardening

Children try gardening in outdoor classroom

  • Northwest Maricopa

In gardens, children can learn outside of the classroom by investigating nature while teachers introduce basic science and math concepts.

champion-susan-elsberry

FTF Graham/Greenlee Champion wants community to see how early childhood resonates into adulthood

  • Graham/Greenlee

Susan Elsberry was recently selected as the 2018 First Things First Graham/Greenlee Champion for Young Children.
mental health

Mental health is an important part of early childhood developmental milestones

  • mental health

We celebrate Children’s Mental Health Awareness in May—a time to remember that a child’s future success depends on socio-emotional and behavioral…
kindergarten classroom

Arizona kindergarten teachers share the scoop on how to be successful in kindergarten

  • school readiness

Every year, First Things First shares a list of things families can do over the summer to prepare their child for the first day of kindergarten. The tips have…
Q&A with Dawn Wilkinson

Q&A with AZAEYC Executive Director Dawn Wilkinson

  • early learning

​Find out about NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child™, an annual celebration to raise awareness of the importance of quality early learning.​​
Child Abuse Prevention Month - April 2018

Building stronger families and a stronger Arizona during National Child Abuse Prevention Month

  • family support

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, but prevention activities should be happening every day, every week, every month and every year, according to…
Quality child care program

Road map to educational success begins with quality early learning

  • early learning

The Arizona Education Progress Meter sets goals to strive toward and asks all Arizonans to support a shared vision of a “world class…
NAEYC logo

Get ready to celebrate 2018 Week of the Young Child

  • early childhood

​April ​16-20 is an opportunity to highlight the importance of early learning and the educators who support the positive development of young children.
Reading with Your Baby

New FTF video helps parents make reading with their baby a daily routine

  • Read On Arizona

​A new​ video designed to show parents easy tips for reading with their babies is now available from First Things First.

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