Early Childhood Scholarship Fund

The Early Childhood Scholarship Fund provides access to quality early learning for more of Arizona's young children experiencing poverty.

The Early Childhood Scholarship Fund at the Arizona Community Foundation directly supports First Things First Quality First Scholarships. These scholarships provide access to high-quality early education for young children from low-income families in Arizona.

Scholarships are paid directly to quality early learning centers with a Quality First Star Rating of 3 stars or above. First Things First created Quality First to work with child care and preschool providers across Arizona to improve the quality of their early learning settings.

Currently, about 1,300 early learning programs in communities across Arizona participate in Quality First. All of these programs are licensed or regulated, but participating in Quality First is voluntary.

These programs are committed to quality improvement, going beyond regulatory requirements to help the infants, toddlers and preschoolers in their care be ready for success in school and beyond.

Testimonials

* As a single, working mom with a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old, Angelina Ramirez struggled to find affordable quality child care. She was grateful to find help through Quality First scholarships so that her daughters can attend the Early Education Child Care Center in Sacaton. She's seen the results already in her older daughter. Jewel now has an above-average vocabulary and has developed social skills so that she interacts well with both teachers and other children.

* Sammy and Jessica Moore of Coolidge were able to enroll their youngest son, Thunder, in preschool with help from a Quality First scholarship. They saw a big difference after Thunder attended preschool compared to their older children, who did not attend preschool. "Thunder learned about teamwork, how to play within a group and how to be a friend to others. He looks forward to learning," said mom Jessica. His father Sammy said he watched his son grow emotionally and physically in preschool. "Thunder is just way more advanced than his siblings were at that age."