What Is Saving First Things First?
Passed by voters in 2006, First Things First has had enormous impact all across Arizona. The program, funded as voters intended by a new tax on tobacco products, uses a series of all-volunteer local councils to distribute core early childhood development resources to children age 5 and under and their families.
First Things First has allowed the parents of 80,000 newborns to leave the hospital with information about healthy parenting. It has helped more than 66,000 children learn in healthier, safer environments. It has distributed more than 2 million pounds of food and increased the availability of specialized therapists in communities all over rural Arizona.
In short, First Things First has done what the state Legislature has too often failed to do: Taken action to make childhood in Arizona healthier and more conducive to quality learning.
