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 Phoenix North Region, there are 66,337 children (under age 6) with 26% living in poverty.
Here is how FTF is working to support young children and their families in this region.
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“The early childhood programs and services, supported by the FTF Phoenix North Regional Council, strengthen families, improve the quality of early learning and enhance the health and well-being of children birth to 5 years old in our community. This impact would not have been possible without data to guide our discussions and decisions.” Wendy Resnik |
Phoenix North Regional Key Impact Highlights
[Fiscal Year 2020]
5,012 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.
2,745 Families or caregivers served by receiving referrals or by participating in activities at family resource centers.
9,571 Children attended preschools and child care programs participating in Quality First.
1,184 Children birth to age 5 received a Quality First scholarship to attend high-quality preschools and child care programs.
2,581 Children monitored to receive appropriate screenings to detect vision, hearing and developmental issues to prevent learning challenges later on.
870 Children received fluoride varnishes applied to protect against childhood tooth decay.
5,282 Books were given to families with children ages birth to age 5 to encourage parent-child interaction and reading.
123 Early childhood educators received college scholarships to improve their qualifications for working with infants, toddlers and preschoolers.
Phoenix North Family Story
Quality First center in northwest Phoenix supports foster child’s social skills in classroom
In 2015, Peggy McMenemy, and her husband Jeff’s life journey opened a new path that unexpectedly included parenthood.
At 3 months old, Leona came into the McMenemy’s care as a ward of the State. Even at such a young age, Leona’s history of adverse child experiences showed an impact on her social and emotional development. In Leona’s case, she would get physically aggressive with other children when upset.
Many children in Arizona’s child protective system have experienced trauma and score high in adverse childhood experiences, known as ACEs.
Read moreFTF Phoenix North Regional Partnership Council
SFY20 Total Regional Program Expenditures
The FTF Phoenix 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.
| Quality Child Care and Preschool | $10,131,904 | 66% |
| Strengthening Families | $2,979,087 | 18% |
| Preventive Health | $1,245,057 | 8% |
| Research and Evaluation | $429,395 | 3% |
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Workforce Development and Training |
$233,227 | 2% |
| Parent and Community Awareness | $174,279 | 2% |
| Coordinating Care | $59,419 | 1% |
| TOTAL |
$15,252,370 |
The FTF Phoenix North Region is primarily the City of Phoenix north of Thomas Road. The region also includes the unincorporated communities of Anthem and New River to the north. Note that the Phoenix neighborhoods of Ahwatukee and Paradise Valley Village are assigned to the East Maricopa Region, and some Phoenix neighborhoods adjacent to Glendale are assigned to the Northwest Maricopa Region. The FTF Phoenix North Region includes Legislative districts 1, 15, 20, 23, 24, 28 and 30. (Legislative districts are not necessarily congruent with regional boundaries.)