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First Things First Regional Boundary Review

First Things First’s regional partnership councils plan and administer what works best in supporting quality early education and health for children ages 0-5 in their communities. There are currently 31 regional partnership councils across Arizona.

First Things First’s statutory requirements include the review of regional boundaries every two years to determine if any changes are needed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. In order to accomplish this, the FTF Board convened a Regional Boundary Task Force representing a broad cross section of regional council members and the community and conducted surveys and focus groups in local communities.

The Task Force met three times during the latter part of 2012 and early 2013. It has conducted an in-depth review of the current regional boundaries, demographics and impact data. At the conclusion of the third meeting – on February 19, 2013 – the Task Force put forward a series of draft recommendations regarding regional boundaries.

The key proposed changes to FTF regional boundaries recommended by the Task Force are:

Consolidating the existing three Pima County regions (North, Central and South Pima) into two regions. The existing North and Central Pima regions would become a single North Pima region. The South Pima region would maintain its current boundaries with a slight modification.
Consolidating the existing five Maricopa County regions (Northeast, Northwest, Central, Southeast and Southwest Maricopa) and the three City of Phoenix regions (North, Central and South Phoenix) into a total of six regions – a reduction from the existing eight regions.

A critical component of this process is public feedback on the draft recommendations. The draft recommendations of the Task Force are available below. First Things First welcomes your review and input.

There will also be a series of community forums in April 2013 to gather additional comment from providers, grantees and families of young children who may be impacted by the proposed regional boundary changes.

The Task Force will reconvene on May 7, 2013 to review public comment and prepare final recommendations for the Board.