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

Family resource center empowers Phoenix boy to find independence

8/4/2017
family support

Felicitas Padron of Phoenix assumed that her children’s learning started with their kindergarten teacher. The mother of three learned otherwise at the…

Resource center helps Phoenix mother prepare her daughter socially and academically for school

8/3/2017
family support

On most days, Gaby Acosta refills the snack machines throughout various schools in the Washington Elementary School District in Phoenix as part of her…

Support for Holbrook grandparents raising grandchildren

8/3/2017
family friend and neighbor care

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

8/3/2017
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

8/3/2017
school readiness

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…

8/3/2017
family support

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

8/3/2017
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

8/3/2017
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

8/3/2017
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…

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