Quality First in Prescott Valley

Families will now have more information and tools for finding quality child care and preschool through QualityFirstAZ.com.

The new website – launched by First Things First – gives families information about why quality is important in child care and preschool and what quality looks like. It also gives parents tools they can use to find a quality child care and preschool setting that meets their needs.  This choice has never been more important.

“Children who have quality early education experiences are more prepared when they enter kindergarten, and do better in school,” said Dr. Pamela Powell, an Associate Professor of Literacy and Early Childhood at Northern Arizona University and Vice Chair of the First Things First Board. “Skills like motivation, self-control, focus, and self-esteem are rooted in early childhood and are learned from interactions with adults.”

Dr. Powell said many of those interactions happen in child care and preschool, so it is vital that those settings be quality environments that build on basic health and safety to include:

· teachers and caregivers who know how to work with infants, toddlers and preschoolers;

· positive, nurturing relationships that give young kids the individual attention they need;

· learning environments that encourage creativity and imaginative play;

· hands-on activities that stimulate and encourage positive brain connections in children; and,

· caregivers who provide regular feedback to parents on the development of their child.

Anelizabeth “Grannie” Marlowe, owner and director of Grannie’s House, a child care home in Prescott Valley committed to quality, works to make sure that her center includes all of these critical elements.  “In a high-quality center, children feel welcomed, comfortable, safe and secure,” Marlowe said. Marlowe also said that in her decades of working with young children, she knows that the most powerful indicator of quality in an early childhood center is the nurturing, positive relationship between the teachers and children. 

Quality early care prepares children to succeed in kindergarten and beyond. Parents can find child care centers and homes like Grannie’s House in their area through QualityFirstAZ.com. By launching the website, First Things First also hopes to spark conversations between parents and providers and across communities statewide about the importance of quality early learning.  “Early childhood is the foundation that a child has to prepare for the rest of their life,” Marlowe said. “We’re raising the leaders of tomorrow right now.”

 

About First Things First – First Things First is a voter-created, statewide organization that funds early education and health programs to help kids be successful once they enter kindergarten. Decisions about how those funds are spent are made by local councils staffed by community volunteers. To learn more, visit azftf.gov.