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First Things First update for Feb. 20 — Veteran FTF Board members lauded for their expertise, insight and visionary leadership

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News and happenings about First Things First
February 2019

Veteran FTF Board members lauded for their expertise, insight and visionary leadership
This year, three long-serving FTF Board members will complete their terms of service: Ruth Solomon, Gayle Burns and Nadine Mathis Basha. All three members were recently recognized by their fellow Board members at the first Board meeting of the year, and also received written commendations from the Governor’s Office for their volunteer service. The outgoing board members will continue to serve until their successors are appointed.
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Bringing data to life in support of young kids
For the past two years, Kate Dobler has used an interactive mapping tool to help the First Things First Navajo/Apache Regional Partnership Council make better informed decisions on how to best use the early childhood funds dedicated to their community. These MapLIT data sets help Dobler, regional director for the FTF Navajo/Apache Region, and regional council members see complex data visually.
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Updated Quality First website offers new tools for parents seeking child care
First Things First’s signature program, Quality First, recently debuted a revamped mobile-friendly website designed to get parents of babies, toddlers and preschoolers the information they need to find a quality child care environment for their child. The website’s new features include short videos that explain what a quality child care environment looks like, a downloadable checklist for parents to print out and take with them on child care or preschool visits and information about why quality care matters.
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Changing the lives of families
Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing stories from families across Arizona whose children were enrolled in a Quality First child care program. They’ll tell you first-hand what a difference quality child care and preschool makes in the lives of their young children and provide a deeper understanding of why all children need to be ready for kindergarten and beyond. Across Arizona, more than 65,000 babies, toddlers and preschoolers benefited from being in child care and preschool programs that commit to improving the quality of care they provide.
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News Round-Up

News about early childhood around Arizona and across the U.S.
Advocates seek more state funding for quality early education
Arizona Education News Service, Feb. 7
Increasing access to quality child care and quality preschool, allocating more state funding for child care, providing budget authority to spend the $56 million in federal funds earmarked for child care assistance and increasing the quality of existing early learning programs and raising the reimbursement rate to a quality level are among the short-term investment priorities outlined in the Roadmap for P-20 Education Funding developed by Expect More Arizona and its more than 80 partners in education, business and community organizations.

The bills authorizing the Department of Economic Security to spend the federal funds would provide access to as many as 5,000 children a month, said Liz Barker Alvarez, chief policy advisor for First Things First. “The bill that Rep. Udall sponsored and the plan that the Department of Economic Security has actually balances out access and quality, because it would spend half the funds to decrease families out of pocket costs while promoting higher quality and the other half to provide more access,” Alvarez said.
Guest Opinion: February is Early Childhood Education Awareness Month
Nogales International, Feb. 1
For the third consecutive year, the Santa Cruz County School Superintendent’s Office is collaborating with First Things First, UA Cooperative Extension-Santa Cruz County and the Nogales/Santa Cruz Public Libraries to increase awareness about the importance of early childhood education in Santa Cruz County.
LAUNCH seeking support for preschool pilot program
The Arizona Daily Sun, Feb. 3
LAUNCH Flagstaff is seeking supporters for a pilot program to improve preschool education within Flagstaff Unified School District boundaries by providing full-day, year-round preschool to 4-year-olds from low-income families. The organization recently approached both the Flagstaff City Council and the Coconino County Board of Supervisors with one central message: the community needs more quality preschool options. The program would create these new classrooms using Quality First’s guidelines for four- or five-star-rated preschool classrooms.
Quality First Center in Fort Defiance helps 2-year-old with conversation and healthy eating habits
Navajo-Hopi Observer, Jan. 22
Derrith Hardy was back in the workforce and looking for an infant child care center for her second child, Liam,but was hesitant about leaving her 6-month-old in a new place. She visited the Little Miss Muffet child care center, operated by the Navajo Nation Child Care and Development Fund in Fort Defiance, where site supervisor Al Dale put her at ease. “It’s my job right from the start to make a good impression on the parents,” Dale said. “I give them a rundown of how everything works and what they can expect from us as a Quality First center. We talk about the support in mental health and our coaching team and how this environment will help their children get prepared for kindergarten, even as babies.”