“Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth, and take so little care of your children, to whom one day you must relinquish it all?”
-  Socrates

Ultimately, the aim of First Things First is to improve developmental and early learning outcomes for young children ages birth through five years. To achieve that goal, First Things First, with its community partners, will work to build a system that grows and sustains a coordinated network of early childhood programs and services. The charge of First Things First is to design a system in which programs and services are of high-quality, easily accessible, and affordable by all who wish to access them. Creating such a system allows Arizona to lead the way for improving children’s chances for success.

Creating a true, comprehensive early childhood system consisting of organized, interrelated networks of programs and services requires addressing issues of both content and infrastructure. The state must be a system of systems in which rigorous monitoring and assessment ensure positive, expected outcomes occur.

The task of First Things First is to create a sustainable system by choosing wisely among politically and economically-viable options for a maximum return on its investments. Creating such a system is no small task, but the result will produce outcomes from which all of Arizona will benefit - children who are healthy and ready for success in school and life.  The children of Arizona are its strongest asset. The time is now to build the right system for bright futures.