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About First Things First for Arizona's Children
Years of study and innovative research show that investing in the early development and health of Arizona's youngest children is the best use of public resources. In fact, science has shown us that a child's brain is 90% developed by age three. The very foundations for a child's ability to grow healthy and learn are laid long before a child enters a classroom. World renowned economists say that investing at the very earliest ages will have the most impact on creating a world class economy. If we act now, we can make a profound difference on this generation and those to come. By investing in the very earliest development of our children, we can ensure that they are prepared for success later in life.
That is why a broad-based coalition of Arizonans have come together to encourage the passage of the Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Initiative, to be placed on the 2006 ballot. This initiative will work with local communities, to ensure that all families and children have voluntary access to high quality early learning and health screenings that will provide the foundations for success in the future.
The Initiative consists of three primary components:
Dedicates in perpetuity a funding stream of at least $150 million statewide for outcome based early development and health programs at the local and regional level. This funding will be collected from a tax on tobacco products.
Establishes a governance model that must include broad-based representation from all segments of our community, including faith based, private, and public early child care and development experts.
Establishes a delivery system rooted in local communities and ensures 90% of these dollars are dedicated to programs and only 10% will be applied to administrative costs. In addition, this includes stringent public accountability provisions, outcome based standards and audit requirements in order to apply and comply.
This initiative will establish the Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board of nine members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state senate to serve six-year, staggered terms. The Arizona Department of Education, Department of Economic Security, and the Department of Health Services will also have ex-officio, non-voting representatives on the board.
The Board and Staff will:
Work in partnership with private, public and faith based providers to improve the delivery of early childhood development services.
Oversee early education, development and health programs in Arizona as described in the Initiative.
Provide assistance, information and training to Arizona parents, children and early childhood development providers throughout the state through regional coordinators employed by the board.
Assess early childhood development, health and education needs on a local level.
Report to the public, governor and legislature on the status of early childhood development in Arizona, including an analysis of unmet needs and the use of available federal, state and private funds.
Make recommendations for program improvement and coordination to the governor and legislature.
Administer a grant program that will distribute resources to improve the quality and access of early childhood development and health programs for families and children throughout Arizona.
The Board will initially identify and designate regions throughout Arizona. Each region will have a volunteer Regional Partnership Council and a Regional Coordinator. These regional coordinators with the help of the community will conduct a local needs analysis and assets study and prepare regional grant applications to submit to the Board.
Investing in our children early in their development is the best possible investment of public resources we can make as a community. Passing this initiative will provide the foundation for maximizing Arizona's potential.
How you can help and make a difference:
Endorse the initiative
Help us collect the necessary signatures to qualify for the ballot
Join our coalition
Sign up your family, friends and colleagues
Host an event
Contribute to the campaign
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“So I became a newspaperman. I hated to do it but I couldn’t find honest employment.” —Mark Twain
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