April 9, 2010
Dear Fellow Arizonan:
Scientific advancements in the last decade have confirmed what parents and grandparents have known for a lifetime – that 90% of a child’s brain is developed in the first three years of life. These early years set the foundation for a child to process, retain and advance simple and sophisticated thoughts and actions.
That’s why in 2006, Arizona voters made an unprecedented commitment to our youngest children: they set aside 80 cents from every pack of cigarettes sold to establish First Things First (FTF) and ensure that every child in Arizona has the opportunity to start school prepared to succeed.
By law, 90% of FTF’s money goes directly to programs and services that help our youngest children thrive. Decisions about how to spend these funds are not made by government bureaucrats; they are made by more than 300 dedicated community volunteers who serve on FTF’s 31 Regional Partnership Councils across the state.
Your Tax Dollars Invested Wisely
To date, FTF has allocated more than $284 million to early education and health services across Arizona. While we achieve efficiencies through statewide initiatives, FTF accommodates the economic and cultural differences across our state through Regional Partnership Councils. We know that helping children cannot be a one-size-fits-all proposition. Our Regional Councils identify the challenges and opportunities in their communities then develop three-year plans with specific strategies to meet the needs of their children. These strategies connect nationally recognized best practices with the unique needs of local communities. Every strategy funded includes specific outcome measures so that we can be sure our funding is invested in what works. As a result of our statewide and regional efforts:
· 10,086 children received child care scholarships that allowed their parent to work or look for work;
· 33,000 children are receiving improved child care;
· 15,000 children have safer, more nurturing relationships with their parents;
· The parents of 80,000 newborns can leave the hospital with information about healthy parenting practices;
· 66,000 children benefit from healthy, safe learning environments;
· 68,684 food boxes were distributed, including 2 million pounds of food and 75,638 other items such as diapers, formula, etc.;
· 330,000 children benefit from outreach to doctors that results in improved health care coordination, as well as physician knowledge of best practices in caring for young children; and,
· 2,780 children will have ready access to specialized therapists in their communities.
We are proud of the work that has occurred throughout the past three years, and the best is yet to come. Find out more information about the specific program strategies working across Arizona.
The Budget Crisis
The state is facing a budget crisis the likes of which we have never seen, and we hope won’t be seen again. The Arizona Legislature has severely reduced, and in some cases, eliminated state funding for programs and services to young children. This is having a devastating impact on kids in our state, especially since these cuts did not have to be made.
Because of responsible financial planning and funding guidelines contained in the initiative approved by the voters, FTF has a fund balance that has been accumulating over the past three years. This balance ensures our spending decisions are based on actual revenues, not on unreliable projections. It also ensures that funding will be available to sustain our critical early childhood programs as tobacco revenues decline over time.
FTF recognized the state’s dire financial position and we have offered to help. In December 2009, FTF proposed a fund transfer to the Governor and legislative leaders. The only condition: that the monies have to be paid back. The Governor accepted this fund transfer concept and included it in her budget plan.
Legislative leaders, however, rejected our fund transfer offer. Instead, they passed a measure to ask voters to eliminate FTF, sweep all FTF funds set aside for early childhood education and health, and let the Legislature decide what to do with the money. In other words, scrap FTF and our mission but keep the tax for their own purposes. The First Things First statewide Board has voted to formally oppose this action.
We understand several lawmakers are willing to reconsider this action and accept our fund transfer offer – which is $300 million, to be paid back by 2017 – with NO interest. The terms of the fund transfer would be specified in an alternative ballot measure that would go to the voters in November.
If an agreement on a fund transfer cannot be reached, the existing measure to eliminate FTF will be on the November ballot. We are confident voters will overwhelmingly reject this attempt to take money from our children, but it would be unfortunate if we had to waste time and resources to mount a campaign in order to keep the early childhood investment voters already authorized, especially when a viable alternative is available.
We Need Your Help
Many have asked what they can do to help– individually and through their affiliations. While this list is not exhaustive, here are some ideas:
· Pass this letter on — Distribute the information in this letter widely.
· Serve on a Regional Partnership Council — Apply to serve on a Regional Partnership Council.
Call your Legislator — Ask your legislator – both Representatives and Senators – to reconsider the vote taken March 16 and accept the fund transfer offer from First Things First instead.
· Provide information about FTF and our work in your newsletters and fact sheets
· Attend your Regional Partnership Council meeting and have your voice heard.
· Send us stories — We love to hear success stories. Let us know how FTF is working in your community.
· Invite us to speak to your organization — We are always excited to tell the FTF story. If you would like to schedule a presentation, please contact our FTF communications team.
· Subscribe to our news feeds — Stay current with the latest FTF news
On behalf of our State Board, our Regional Partnership Councils and our staff, we extend our deepest appreciation to all Arizonans who have demonstrated their commitment to our youngest children. Together, we can be confident that all our children will enter kindergarten with the foundation they need to be successful in school and life.
Sincerely,
Steven W. Lynn
FTF Board Chair
Rhian Evans Allvin
FTF Executive Director