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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

Child care provider in a classroom with two small children.

Child care providers took a step forward with federal pandemic relief funding and now feel like…

  • child care crisis

The loss of federal COVID-19 relief funding with no replacement funding has left Arizona child care providers struggling.

Child care cited as significant barrier to pursuing training and education after high school

  • AZ communities

Arizonans cited finances, personal issues, work and child care as reasons for not completing education or training beyond high school.

Latest FTF Annual Report highlights FTF’s work on behalf of Arizona’s generation next

  • AZ communities

The 2024 FTF Annual Report highlights the outcomes of First Things First’s work in collaboration with partners statewide.
Woman holding a baby with a doctor putting stethoscope to the baby's back.

Working toward a better system for families to find resources in Yavapai County

  • systems building

The FTF Yavapai Regional Council is committed to making sure families who need services are able to find a connection for help.

Promotion for Arizona Talks panel

Arizona taking action on the state’s child care crisis

  • child care

First Things First CEO Melinda Morrison Gulick will be part of a panel discussion on Arizona Talks, which provides a dialogue to public policy topics.
Headshots of Steve Lynn and Steve Peru faded in the background.

Meet FTF’s new Board Chair and Vice Chair

  • AZ communities

FTF Board Chair Steve Lynn and Vice Chair Steve Peru answer questions about their motivation to be advocates for Arizona’s youngest children.

Learning from the Cochise County communities to help families establish concrete supports

  • systems building

The Cochise Regional Council recognized that family resources are hard to access and there are many factors that go into a family’s success.

Welcome new regional council members

New regional council members excited to join dedicated community advocates

  • Regional Partnership Councils

FTF is welcoming 40 new regional partnership council members who are joining the more than 250 dedicated community members across Arizona.
Infant girl sitting on fathers lap

Showing up and listening to the child care needs of northern Arizona’s communities

  • systems building

The FTF Coconino Region team works daily to create a common understanding of the challenges families face as they raise their young children.

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