“Without First Things First, we’d probably be on welfare.”

When Arizona’s housing industry crashed, so did KJ’s life. “We lost our home; the car was re-possessed.” Fortunately, KJ was able to find a job, but at 1/3 her previous salary. The question became: who would care for 4-year-old T while she worked?

For a while, KJ allowed an acquaintance to care for T; until T’s shoulder was broken. “That was it for me; it wasn’t worth it to save money if she wasn’t going to be safe.” KJ reached out to the director of the preschool her daughter previously attended, who told her about the First Things First Emergency Child Care Scholarship Program. While state lawmakers were cutting programs to help  working families with child care, FTF responded by investing almost $26 million to help kids be safe and be in quality learning programs while their parents worked or looked for work.

 “(T) is safe; she’s learning so much,” KJ said. “I am amazed at her knowledge and social skills, compared to kids whose parents aren’t able to afford quality care.”

The scholarship has made a big difference for KJ, too. “When I found out about First Things First, I just didn’t know what I was going to do. We share one bedroom in a tiny apartment; I drive an older car: I don’t have credit card debt, and I still wasn’t making it,” KJ said. “Without First Things First, I would have had to quit my job to take care of T, and we’d probably be on welfare.”