{"id":49994,"date":"2023-04-20T23:35:24","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T23:35:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/?page_id=49994"},"modified":"2023-04-21T00:10:27","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T00:10:27","slug":"about-quality-first","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/resources\/quality-first\/about-quality-first\/","title":{"rendered":"About Quality First"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Quality First supports Arizona\u2019s child care providers, so they can support our young children.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Quality First is a program of First Things First, Arizona\u2019s early childhood agency. Because learning starts from birth, and so many Arizona families need child care, First Things First funds Quality First to help early care and education providers in our state improve the quality of their programs in ways that help young children learn, grow and thrive.<\/p>\n<p>Currently more than 1,300 child care and preschool programs in communities across Arizona participate in Quality First. All of these programs are regulated in the State of Arizona, but participating in Quality First is voluntary. These early care and education providers are committed to quality improvement, going beyond regulatory requirements to help the infants, toddlers and preschoolers in their care be ready for success in school and beyond.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Why quality matters<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The early childhood years, from birth to age 5, are when your child\u2019s brain is growing and developing faster than any other time in life. And<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/early-childhood-matters\/brain-development\/\"> early brain development<\/a> has a lasting impact on a child\u2019s ability to learn and succeed in school and life. The brain connections needed for many important abilities like motivation, self-regulation, problem solving and communication are formed in these early years through positive, nurturing relationships and interactions with caring adults. These relationships begin at home, with parents and family, but also include early care and education professionals.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>Quality improvement<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Child care centers, home-based providers and preschools participating in Quality First are supported with training and coaching to help improve their programs in ways that nurture the emotional, social and academic development of every child.<\/p>\n<p>First Things First supports child care and preschool programs enrolled in Quality First with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Coaching<\/strong> and professional development for staff to build on what\u2019s great about a program and identify opportunities to improve in ways that support children\u2019s learning.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Funding<\/strong> to support quality early learning for young children, including the purchase of age-appropriate books, toys and learning materials, as well as new classroom furniture, outdoor equipment or other improvements to the physical space.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Specialized assistance<\/strong> from a team of early childhood experts in child health, mental health and supporting children with special needs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20961\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Tools-choose-quality.jpg\" alt=\"Quality First provides resources to help Arizona families find quality child care\" width=\"750\" height=\"393\" \/><\/h2>\n<h2><strong id=\"ratings\">Ratings<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>To measure progress in quality improvement, each program participating in Quality First is assessed and given a Quality First Star Rating, ranging from 1 to 5 stars.\u00a0 Star Ratings are based on what research shows are the key components of quality early care and education:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Health and safety practices that promote children\u2019s basic well being<\/li>\n<li>Skilled teachers who know how to turn everyday experiences into learning moments<\/li>\n<li>Learning environments with age-appropriate activities, books, toys and other learning materials that promote emotional, social, language and cognitive development<\/li>\n<li>Opportunities for active play and hands-on exploration throughout the day<\/li>\n<li>Teacher-child interactions and engaging conversations that build language and promote thinking and social skills<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The standards are high, and reaching the quality levels can take some time. Programs are assessed every two years and receive a new rating with each assessment.<\/p>\n<p>The rating of each program is posted at the program&#8217;s location and on this website immediately following selection in Quality First. If they achieve a 3-, 4-, or 5-star rating, the program&#8217;s rating becomes public and is posted. If they achieve a 1- or 2-star, their rating isn&#8217;t posted and &#8220;Rating Unavailable&#8221; would show. The program will be reassessed again 2 years later for their renewal rating. All renewal ratings are public.<\/p>\n<p>There are many quality early care and education programs in Arizona that are not enrolled in Quality First. Ratings are just one of several factors to consider in finding the right program for your family\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n<p>All early care and education providers that participate in Quality First are actively working on quality improvement, with the support and resources needed to move up the rating scale. No matter a program\u2019s current rating level, families can be assured that child care providers participating in Quality First are committed to making improvements that help prepare kids for school and life.<\/p>\n<p>Quality First is voluntary for child care programs and preschools.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Quality First supports Arizona\u2019s child care providers, so they can support our young children. Quality First is a program of First Things First, Arizona\u2019s early childhood agency. Because learning starts from birth, and so many Arizona families need child care, First Things First funds Quality First to help early care and education providers in our &hellip; <a class=\"more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/resources\/quality-first\/about-quality-first\/\">Read More<i class=\"fas fa-arrow-circle-right\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":49998,"parent":49987,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-quality-first.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-49994","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.8 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>About Quality First - First Things First<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/resources\/quality-first\/about-quality-first\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About Quality First\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Quality First supports Arizona\u2019s child care providers, so they can support our young children. 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