Preamble We believe that every child in Arizona deserves the opportunity to arrive at school healthy and prepared to succeed. We believe that our role is to provide leadership, advocacy, public policies, programs and means to achieve this vision. We believe that the governance and administration of FTF should be conducted according to the laws … Read More
All Arizonans Urged to Do More to Support Health, Education Improvements PHOENIX – (January 22, 2018) – Almost 1 in 3 young children in Arizona live in poverty, a risk factor for later difficulties, including lower academic achievement. This is just one of the challenges faced by many of Arizona’s almost 550,000 infants, toddlers and … Read More
Learn about resources for single, teen or disabled parents, and grandparents.
The Building Blocks of Lifelong Success Decades of research prove that children with access to high-quality early childhood programs are better prepared for kindergarten, perform well in school and are more likely to pursue higher education. These children also grow into healthier, more productive members of society. The benefits of early childhood experiences include: Higher … Read More
First Things First works at the state and local levels to give Arizona children the opportunity to arrive at kindergarten healthy and ready to succeed. We invest in proven programs and innovative strategies through grants to community organizations that provide services to children and families. We provide professional expertise and oversight to support local programs … Read More
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 opening up much more than storybook worlds to him with reading. Eight years later, she was the one to receive the happy surprise when she opened the mailbox: … Read More
PHOENIX – May 2, 2017 – Today, First Things First was announced as a Top 25 program in this year’s Innovations in American Government Awards competition by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. As a Top 25 program, First Things First is representing the top … Read More
American adults think language and literacy skills are needed to do well in life. Early childhood is the best time to help kids develop them.
For Scott and Pat Hall of Gilbert, their adopted son Ethan was a miracle. Born seven weeks early and weighing only 4 pounds, the medical crises with the baby never seemed to stop. Around four weeks old, Ethan was rushed to the hospital because he stopped breathing. Later, doctors found blood spots on his brain … Read More