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.

Grandmother, mother and two small children looking at the camera.

Caregiving program helps Yuma grandmother better understand child development

September 24, 2025
Yuma family friend and neighbor care

Family, Friend and Neighbor Care provides support to informal caregivers who are caring for a small group of young children in a home setting. Read More

Quality First preschool prepares Yuma siblings for kindergarten success

12/12/2017
Quality First

As a divorced single mother of 2-year-old twin boys and a 9-month-old daughter, Laura Elena Torres of Yuma struggled to make rent, food and other monthly…

Healthy and ready for school

11/7/2017
tribal

A child’s most important developmental years are those leading up to kindergarten. Good nutrition is vital to healthy development in young children, and poor…

Phoenix boy gets strong foundation from home visitation program

11/7/2017
home visitation

After Porsche Brown gave birth to her first child, Zaire, she remembered taking him home and being extremely nervous about being a first-time parent. Even the…

Pascua Yaqui Tribe library literacy workshops enhance skills and tribal way of life

11/2/2017
language & literacy

Amalia A.M. Reyes always knows when the literacy workshops for parents are working. Reyes, who supervises the Dr. Fernando Escalante Community Library…

Weekly storytime helps shy Parker boy socialize and build reading skills

11/2/2017
school readiness

Chase Nelson started kindergarten with a bigger vocabulary and more self-confidence thanks to the Tuesdays he spent at the library with his mom.Andrea…

Quality First preschool in Goodyear prepares boy with foundational skills

11/2/2017
Quality First

For Warner D’Cunah of Goodyear, the cost of enrolling his three children in West Valley Christian School is an investment in quality education. His…

Bilingual books build early literacy and cultural knowledge for Peach Springs sisters

8/17/2017
tribal

After almost two years, 7-year-old Lena Montana and her little sister, Alyssa, 5, still carry around their bilingual children’s books filled with…

Pinal grandparents find help to overcome toddler’s learning delays

8/17/2017
school readiness

Carla Jones of Maricopa suspected that something was wrong when her grandson was just 2 years old. Little Kémon showed signs of learning delays, and mumbled…

Grandparents rise to the challenge

8/17/2017
grandparents

Proud parents of two young girls, Katelyn Redlin and her husband live in Maricopa but work during the day in Chandler. Soon after their second child,…

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