First Things First partners with families and communities to help our state’s youngest children prepare for kindergarten and beyond.
Many young children in Arizona face challenges that threaten their healthy development and learning. In the Pima North Region, there are 48,064 children (under age 6) with 27% living in poverty.
Here is how FTF is working to support young children and their families in this region.
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“I support early childhood because children need secure positive relationships with adults who are knowledgeable on how to support a young child’s development and learning. Children develop and learn at a rapid pace, beginning at birth. This becomes a critical time for a child to have a strong foundation laid for their future development and learning.” Susan Shinn |
Pima North Regional Key Impact Highlights
[Fiscal Year 2020]
9,898 Families of newborns received the Arizona Parent Kit, filled with tips and tools to help support their child’s healthy development.
483 Families with young children participated in voluntary home visiting programs proven to reduce parental stress levels, increase connections to community supports, and improve children’s cognitive, motor, behavioral and social-emotional development.
106 Parents and other caregivers participated in evidence-based trainings designed to improve knowledge of parenting practices and children’s development.
7,215 Children attended preschools and child care programs participating in Quality First.
645 Children birth to age 5 received a Quality First scholarship to attend high-quality preschools and child care programs.
445 Children monitored to receive appropriate screenings to detect vision, hearing and developmental issues to prevent learning challenges later on.
1,884 Children received a screening to detect tooth decay, which left undetected and untreated could cause damage to permanent teeth, impair speech development and failure to thrive.
309 Early childhood educators received professional development to improve their qualifications for working with infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Pima North Family Story
Registered nurse helps new mom care for infant son in Tucson
When Lydia Rader found out she was going to be a mom, a friend recommended that she enroll in the Easterseals Blake Foundation Nurse-Family Partnership program.
Funded by the First Things First Pima North Regional Partnership Council, the Nurse-Family Partnership program works with first-time, low–income prenatal mothers, caregivers and their children from pregnancy until the child turns age 2.
Prior to the pandemic, the program included one-on-one home visits by a trained public health registered nurse. The home visits have adapted to Skype sessions and phone calls with program participants.
Read moreFTF Pima North Regional Partnership Council
SFY20 Total Regional Program Expenditures
The FTF Pima North Regional Partnership Council is made up of volunteers who study the unique needs of the local community and decide how funds should be used to best support the healthy development and early learning of young children birth to age 5. FTF invests in proven programs and innovative strategies through grants to community organizations that provide services to children and families. Some of the programs in this region include Quality First, First Smiles Matter and Great Expectations for Teachers, Children, Families and Communities.
| Quality Child Care and Preschool | $5,308,576 | 56% |
| Strengthening Families | $2,024,000 | 22% |
| Preventive Health | $1,027,222 | 10% |
| Workforce Development and Training | $784,272 | 8% |
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Research and Evaluation |
$286,452 | 3% |
| Parent and Community Awareness | $75,802 | 1% |
| TOTAL |
$9,506,324 |
The FTF Pima North Region is defined as the northern portion of Pima County, not including the lands belonging to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and the Tohono O’odham Nation. The region includes the city of South Tucson, the towns of Oro Valley and Marana, and the unincorporated communities of Catalina Foothills, Tanque Verde, Picture Rocks, Catalina, Avra Valley and Nelson. It does not include the Redington area in the northeastern corner of Pima County, which is assigned to the FTF Cochise Region. The FTF Pima North Region includes Legislative Districts 2, 3, 9, 10 and 11. (Legislative districts are not necessarily congruent with regional boundaries.)