Region Stories

These stories illustrate how early childhood programs and services funded by First Things First make a difference for young children and families in communities across Arizona.

Mother with a green shirt playing with her son in blue shirt at a family resource center.

Youngtown mother finds community among moms at FRC

July 28, 2026

Family resource centers provide parents and caregivers with resources to help them create a nurturing environment for children. Read More

Quality First scholarship helps Tohono O’odham family

1/12/2018
Quality First

Catherine Toro wanted her 2-year-old daughter Hailey to be somewhere that would help with her early childhood development.From the first day they visited…

Developmental screening program helps get Avondale preschooler ready for kindergarten

1/12/2018
developmental screenings

Maria Covarrubias of Avondale remembers watching her 3-year-old son Cesar, sitting by the door all day waiting for his older sister to return from…

Home visitation program prepares Nogales preschooler for kindergarten and beyond

1/12/2018
family support

Nicole Velasquez had heard of the Healthy Families AZ program, which includes home visitation through the family resource center in Nogales, where she took…

Gardening encourages San Carlos Apache girl to make healthy food choices and stay active

1/12/2018
health & nutrition

Gardening became an adventure for young Kelsie Garland when she was introduced to it at Head Start in Bylas.Kelsie was part of a garden program called Grow…

Parenting education class helps Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community mom prepare her daughter…

1/12/2018
parenting education

Sierra Conger lived in multiple foster and group homes during her childhood. She never experienced a sense of family, so when she found herself pregnant at age…

Maricopa mom attributes kindergarten success to parenting education program

1/12/2018
language & literacy

Mid-year of kindergarten at Butterfield Elementary School in Maricopa, 5-year-old Ruby Hoeh’s reading indicators were assessed. She was performing at a…

College scholarship a life-changer for child care provider

1/12/2018
Pima South

When Desiree Lohrenz decided to open a home child care center in Tucson, she wanted it to be the kind of early learning environment that would have a lasting…

Quality First preschool helps siblings be confident in academics and social skills

1/12/2018
Quality First

Stephanie Carl faced hard times in 2013 when she found herself raising her preschool-aged children on her own.“I had been a stay-at-home mom, taking care…

Quality First preschool helps Chinle preschooler gain important literacy skills

1/10/2018
language & literacy

Lola Wood was trying her best to get her young son Takoda interested in learning while they were together at home, but felt like he needed more motivation and…

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