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Ensuring Children Succeed

Building a Brighter Future for Arizona Kids.

Eighty-five percent of a child’s core brain structure is formed by age three, making nurturing interaction with parents and caregivers essential to positive growth and development. But Arizona has no quality standards to ensure children are receiving the care that will prepare them to enter school ready to learn.

Working with our volunteers and partner agencies, we ensure our community’s children enter school ready to learn – and succeed – by:

• Improving the quality of childcare centers through professional development
• Providing comprehensive support and services to childcare providers in high-need areas
• Providing education and skill building opportunities to parents and caregivers
• Creating broader awareness and increasing support for early childhood development

Our Goals for 2012

• Increase the percentage of children entering school ready to learn in targeted communities by 10 percentage points
• Increase early learning knowledge and awareness for 85% of parents and primary caregivers participating in Valley of the Sun United Way programs
• Increase total community investment in early childhood programs by at least 10%

Our Vision for 2020

Research tells us that every dollar invested in early childhood development yields a savings of $3 to $8 in future social welfare expenditures. Our 2020 goal is to increase the percentage of Maricopa County children entering school ready to learn by 20 percentage points. By investing in a child’s success today, we are investing in the future for generations to come.

Click here to see our results 

Valley of the Sun United Way receives funding from First Things First to provide resources in communities to ensure children enter school ready to succeed. First Things First (FTF), approved by Arizona voters, works to ensure that our youngest children have acccess to quality early childhood experiences so they start school healthy and ready to succeed. Across the state, FTF regional partnership councils - in collaboration with local leaders - identify the educational and health needs of children from birth through age 5 in their communities and fund strategies to address those needs.

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