{"id":52920,"date":"2024-01-27T01:21:23","date_gmt":"2024-01-27T01:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstthingsfirst.org\/?post_type=family-stories&p=52920"},"modified":"2024-01-27T01:22:04","modified_gmt":"2024-01-27T01:22:04","slug":"quality-first-preschool-allows-queen-creek-girl-to-thrive","status":"publish","type":"family-stories","link":"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/region-stories\/quality-first-preschool-allows-queen-creek-girl-to-thrive\/","title":{"rendered":"Quality First preschool allows Queen Creek girl to thrive"},"content":{"rendered":"

In fall of 2022, Julia Payan and her husband faced a difficult decision.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Payan was due to have her second child in early 2023 and was working as a preschool teacher at Bridges Preschool of Queen Creek down the hall from her then 2-year-old daughter Logan.<\/span><\/p>\n

Payan was also enrolled in a college program <\/span>studying for her bachelor\u2019s in family and marriage service. Payan wanted to be home with her newborn, Santiago, which required her to quit a job she loved, but with only one income, the family would no longer be able to afford to send Logan to preschool. This was devastating to Payan because she would have to stop her studies and dream of working to support families with young children.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Having worked for a preschool program, Payan was aware of <\/span>the <\/span>Quality First<\/span><\/a> scholarship program which offers scholarships funded through the First Things First Southeast Maricopa Regional Council. The scholarships are designed to help eligible families afford quality early care and education for their young children.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bridges Preschool of Queen Creek participates in FTF\u2019s program, Quality First, which partners with early childhood providers in Arizona to increase quality improvements that help young children thrive. Research shows that quality early learning settings help young children develop important skills \u2014 like motivation, self-control, focus and getting along with others \u2014 skills that make a big difference in their ability to succeed in school and in life. The Payan family submitted their application and were approved to have Logan receive a scholarship.<\/span><\/p>\n

They often share with other families how easily accessible the support programs that FTF funds are available to all families.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Quality First scholarship program is a program that can help you parent,\u201d Payan said. \u201cThat\u2019s amazing!\u201d There should not be a stigma around getting scholarships or asking for help. As a community, we should work together to make things better for all of our children. First Things First does that.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Since receiving the scholarship, Logan has thrived in school.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLogan was non-verbal and received intervention through the state, but now she is talking so much,\u201d Payan said. \u201cI attribute a lot of that to school and the teachers and peers. She\u2019s a really good girl, and I just want the best for her because she deserves it.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Not only has the scholarship program benefitted Logan, but Payan was able to continue her college courses. \u201dThis has made a huge difference,\u201d she said. \u201dWe can talk to our daughter and she can talk back to us. I waited three years for her to call me Mama! A whole network of opportunities has opened up for her.\u201d The Payan family are truly grateful for this opportunity to give their daughter the social interaction and academic foundation she needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf Logan didn\u2019t get the scholarship, she would have been in front of the TV all day because I am a full-time student and have baby Santiago,\u201d she said. \u201cI would have horrible mom guilt.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, Payan marvels at Logan\u2019s confidence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Each passing week, we see her confidence increase as she learns how to problem solve in social situations, how to use her imagination in dramatic play, as well as a foundation of mathematics, literacy and self-expression,\u201d Payan said. \u201cThis early education opportunity is beyond what I could offer her if she had stayed at home with me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

She is confident that Logan will be ready for kindergarten.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt is definitely because of this program that I have no fear in her readiness for kindergarten,\u201d Payan said. \u201cHer teachers and program directors are the real heroes by fostering her education with an abundance of empathy, play and exploration. Even though she has a speech delay and is needing additional services now, her words have slowly turned into sentences. Finally, after three years she is getting her voice.\u201d<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The First Things First Southeast Maricopa Regional Council funds Quality First scholarships to help eligible families afford quality early care and education for their young children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":52931,"template":"","tags":[180,291],"class_list":["post-52920","family-stories","type-family-stories","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-southeast-maricopa","tag-quality-first-scholarships","regions-southeast-maricopa"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nQuality First preschool allows Queen Creek girl to thrive - First Things First<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The First Things First Southeast Maricopa Regional Council funds Quality First scholarships to help eligible families afford quality early care and education for their young children.\" \/>\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\/region-stories\/quality-first-preschool-allows-queen-creek-girl-to-thrive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_ES\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Quality First preschool allows Queen Creek girl to thrive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The First Things First Southeast Maricopa Regional Council funds Quality First scholarships to help eligible families afford quality early care and education for their young children.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/region-stories\/quality-first-preschool-allows-queen-creek-girl-to-thrive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"First Things First\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AZFirstThingsFirst\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-27T01:22:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Southeast-Maricopa-Quality-First-Scholarships.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"393\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AZFTF\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Tiempo de lectura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/region-stories\/quality-first-preschool-allows-queen-creek-girl-to-thrive\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ftf-stg.magnetry.com\/es\/region-stories\/quality-first-preschool-allows-queen-creek-girl-to-thrive\/\",\"name\":\"Quality First preschool allows Queen Creek girl to thrive - 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