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News and happenings about First Things First

Week of the Young Child Proclamations 2026

First Things First recently teamed with the Arizona Association for the Education of Young Children (AzAEYC) to celebrate the Week of the Young Child, which highlights the importance of early learning and the educators who support the… Read More

Parent Kit wins tapi award

Parent Kit honored as AZ Big Shot

  • health & nutrition

The award recognizes FTF for educating the public about the value of immunization as a preventive health strategy.​
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month

  • social-emotional development

Preventing child abuse and neglect is something everyone can play a role in.​
Q&A with Melissa Busby

Q&A with AZAEYC President Melissa Busby

  • Quality First

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

Tackling childhood hunger and obesity in Maricopa County

  • health & nutrition

First Things First regions in Maricopa County are part of a new systems-building partnership to reduce hunger, increase access to nutritious foods and reduce…
Important skills

The most important skills kids need to succeed in life

  • language & literacy

American adults think language and literacy skills are needed to do well in life. Early childhood is the best time to help kids develop them.​
legislative-day

Legislative Day at Arizona State Capitol connects policymakers with early childhood stakeholders

  • AZ communities

The inaugural event highlighted why early childhood is critical to the future of our state and how it links to shared priorities such as healthy children,…
champion-vedock

Arizona pediatrician promotes the importance of the early years

  • AZ communities

As a parent of a two young children, Dr. Kathleen Vedock knows firsthand the critical importance of the first five years in a child’s development and shares…
Innovation in Government Award

FTF named semifinalist in Harvard’s 2017 Innovations in American Government Awards competition

  • board

“What makes government work best is the drive to do better.” First Things First’s citizen-led, tiered governance structure was recognized as…
heckman quote

New research shows strong return on investing in high quality early childhood programs

  • Quality First

Economist James Heckman’s latest research suggests that investing in quality early childhood programs produces a 13 percent return on investment.…

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