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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.

Honoring Carolyn Haro

Carolyn Mawson Haro, of Globe, passed away on July 24, 2025, in Tucson, after living with cancer. Fittingly born on Independence Day, Carolyn was known for her spirited personality and was often described as a firecracker.She was a… Read More

Support for Holbrook grandparents raising grandchildren

  • tribal

Cathy Grant’s grandson had a rough start in life.When he and his younger sister came to live with Grant, Jacob was almost 4. Yet, he had speech delays and…

Healthy Steps helps Joseph City preschooler find help to be successful in school

  • school readiness

​​Around the time that Sherri McCollan’s daughter Carmen turned 4 years old, she began to notice some changes in her daughter’s personality. McCollan…

Quality preschool ensures school readiness for Bullhead City siblings

  • Quality First

​​Cost and convenience are what first attracted Amanda Amann to Tiny T-Birds Early Childhood Center in Bullhead City, but the mother of two said it was the…

Home visitation services help Colorado City boy improve verbal skills to start kindergarten on…

  • home visitation

​​Without the support of home visitation services, Tiffanie Barlow’s son likely would not have started kindergarten on time.“He was two years old, and…

Home visits help Gila River teen parents keep toddler on track

  • parenting education

​​For Heidi Bruder, success comes in small doses. As the Teen Parent Case Manager for Gila River HealthCare, Bruder supports teen parents in the Gila River…

Quality First scholarship helps Miami boy prepare for kindergarten

  • Quality First

​​As a mother of three, Summer Hernandez understands the importance of a mom’s role in her children’s lives. Hernandez will be the first one, however,…

Globe sisters’ literacy skills developed through book program

  • language & literacy

​​Sammi Jenkins signed up her two daughters for Dolly Parton’s Imagination book Library when her youngest daughter Casper was born.A Gila County…

Family resource center helps Tempe mom support daughter’s learning

  • family support

​​When Maricela Romero became a mother, she wanted her daughter Emily to have a better childhood experience than the one she remembered. But it wasn’t…
mom-and-son-reading

Early literacy experiences lead to reading success for San Carlos Apache fourth-grader

  • language & literacy

When Marlencia Benally enrolled her 1-year-old son in a program to receive children’s books every month in the mail, she had no idea that she would be…

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