More than $5 million to aid area children

Children in Pinal County and on the Gila River Indian Community will gain access to vital programs and opportunities for a bright future through First Things First funding. The organization funds programs that are specifically aimed at children from birth to age five to ensure that they have a solid health, human service and educational foundation.

“This is stimulus funding of a different kind for your region,” said Nadine Mathis Basha, chair of the First Things First Governing Board. “We are investing in our brightest asset – our children.”

“First Things First funds are allocated to programs that provide a supportive family environment, quality health care and critical early care and education programs,” said Board of Supervisors’ Chairman David Snider. “We need these programs to connect our youngest with the services they need to prepare for success.”

Supervisor Pete Rios is extremely encouraged that First Things First provides vital funding to the Gila River Indian Reservation as well as funding to be used throughout the rest of Pinal County.

“Targeting children from birth to age five is socially and psychologically the best age for positively influencing young people. These are a young child’s formative years and their young brains will absorb everything that is shared with them through these programs,” Rios said. “This isn’t just one-time spending, its money that we will continue to receive so these programs can grow and flourish.”

“Arizona residents voted to make early childhood health, education, care and family support a priority when they approved Proposition 203,” Supervisor Bryan Martyn said. “This goes hand-in-hand with our goals of increasing the immunization rate, positively influencing our youth and achieving the other important public health goals that we have set.”

According to a fact sheet from First Things First, about seven percent of the Pinal Region’s population is between the ages of birth and five. That equates to 18,000 children who can benefit from additional support to the medical professionals who treat them, preventive health screenings and educational programs.

First Things First provided funding for specific prioritized needs in Pinal County ($4,572,030) and the Gila River Indian Community ($510,403), as defined by the two regional partnership councils. The Pinal Regional Partnership Council and the Gila River Regional Partnership Council are two of 31 councils throughout the state.

“An important element to the long-term success of First Things First is that the communities meet to identify the most important priorities in their region,” Chairman Snider said. “This is not a one-size-fits-all or formula-based program. It is defined by the community that stands to benefit from the programs, as it should be.”

First Things First was created by the passage of Proposition 203, and the funding for the program is derived from a tax on tobacco products.

Submitted photo