What We Do

Welcome to the Quality First Application Process

Instructions: Please read completely prior to beginning the application.

Types of Participation
In this application, you have the opportunity to select only one of three choices for participation:

• Full Participation: Quality Improvement and Rating - You will receive all the benefits of the improvement process, including coaching, assessment, T.E.A.C.H scholarships, child care health consultation and financial incentives. Your program will be rated with between one and five stars when the Quality First Rating System is completed.
• Rating Pilot Study Participation - You will participate in a pilot study that will last from August to December 2010. The study will include program assessment and site observations. The ratings determined in the Rating Pilot are confidential and are not shared with the participating program or the public.
• Rating Pilot Participation Followed by Full Participation: Quality Improvement and Rating - You will participate in the Rating Pilot Study and will be eligible to be selected for Full Participation AFTER the Pilot Study is completed.

The following information is required in order for you to submit your application successfully. Please gather the information listed below BEFORE you begin the application:

• All contact information for the actual child care site (an individual application is required for each site applying to participate)
• All contact information including mailing address, phone number, fax number and email address.
• All provider license and certification numbers including:
• Arizona Department of Health Services (DHS)
• Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES)
• Tribal grant award number for Tribal Head Start or CCDF programs
• United States Department of Defense
• United States Health and Human Services (Head Start Bureau)
• Tribal Governments

For public schools and charters only: County Type District School (CTDS) Identifier.

Enrollment and attendance information

• Number of classrooms and average daily attendance for children five and under (and not yet in kindergarten)
• Enrollment information by age including licensed capacity, actual enrollment, vacancies, and waiting list
• Number of children age five and under whose primary language is Spanish, Native American or other non-English
• Number of children age five and under who receive a DES Child Care Subsidy and number who participated in the Child and Adult Care Food program or national School Lunch Program
• Number of children age five and under with an identified special needs, who have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or an Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP)
• Number of children five and under identified with a special health care need (examples include hearing loss, severe asthma, severe food allergies, diabetes, etc.)

Program Staff information

• Number of full-time and part-time staff and the number of those staff who serve children birth through age five
• Number of new staff members in the past 12 months
• Number of years current director has been at this site

All Quality Improvement programs the site previously or currently participated in, including start and end dates

All previous and current national accreditations, including expiration dates

You may submit an application at any time. However, limited space is available, so it is important to submit your application as soon as you are able. Scoring of applications is based on a variety of First Things First regional priorities. You will be notified of eligibility once it is determined that your center or home is regulated and not under enforcement action with your regulating body or bodies. Being eligible does not mean you have been enrolled in Quality First – just that you are eligible. Selection occurs throughout the year. If you are selected to participate, you will receive notification and a Quality First coach will contact you to conduct an orientation. If you are not selected in the next few months, your application will remain in the Quality First database and continue to be considered as new spaces are made available through additional funding. If you have any questions, please contact our office at qualityfirst@azftf.gov or 602-771-5000 or toll free at 1-877-803-7234.

Submit your application by mail to:		By fax to:
Quality First Coordinator		602-274-6351
First Things First
4000 N. Central Avenue, Suite 800
Phoenix, AZ 85012

 

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