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First Things First

FTF @ Work

Scholarship Recipient is Both the Teacher and a Student

By Aggie Nizhonie Hart

Teachers are the heart of any education system and that is certainly true for Rebecca Valencia. Rebecca is a co-teacher at the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, "lli Uusim Mahtawapo" (Where Little Children are Taught) Head Start program. She is a hardworking, passionate individual. She is also the recipient of a T.E.A.C.H. Scholarship, which allows her to further her education, get the latest information about how children birth to 5 learn and keep her skills working with young kids sharp.

T.E.A.C.H. stands for Teacher Education And Compensation Helps. The scholarships, funded by the First Things First Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Council, allow teachers, assistants and child care providers to enroll for 9 to 15 college credits toward a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or an associate's degree or bachelor's degree in early childhood or an associated field.

Numerous studies and reports show that the professional development of early childhood care and education providers is directly linked to quality early learning. By promoting higher education, the program is helping to establish a well-qualified workforce for Arizona's young children and their families.

Rebecca has more than 10 years of experience working in early childhood. Her career started with the Even Start literacy program; then, she transferred to the Head Start program to work as an Administrative Assistant. While there, she realized her passion was to work directly with the children; so she obtained her CDA credential. The T.E.A.C.H. scholarship has been critical in allowing her to continue her education.

"I probably wouldn't be taking classes for my associate's degree in early childhood education if it wasn't for T.E.A.C.H." said Rebecca, who draws inspiration and motivation from her own children and from her students.

Rebecca loves to see the preschoolers being promoted to kindergarten at the end of the year. She hopes to inspire her children to dream big and let them know they can be anything they want when they grow up. She is grateful that she has the opportunity to further her education and continue to pass on the Yoeme language and culture to her students.

Support Crucial for Parents of High-Risk Newborns

By Laura Devany
When Roberta Wilson gave birth to her beautiful little girl, she never dreamed she wouldn't be taking her home right away. But because she was born almost two months early, she spent her first month in the newborn intensive care unit; a harrowing experience for any parent.

Before receiving support from a nurse as part of a First Things First program to support parents, she was understandably distressed.

"I felt as though I was in deep water trying to fight my way to the surface to breathe," Roberta said.

The program – funded by the FTF Pinal Regional Council and administered by Easter Seals Blake Foundation – provides a coordinated system of in-home specialized nursing consultation for medically at-risk infants and toddlers who have spent five or more days in a hospital newborn intensive care unit.

"The medical jargon and numerous medications are overwhelming and a foreign language, and each time our nurse, Stacy, visits our home, she gives me energy to keep going," Roberta said. "She has given me the strength to keep going even when the weekly doctor visits discourage me and make me feel helpless."

This program has not only supported Roberta and her husband as they care for their new daughter, but made her feel as though they have two new members of their family – their baby girl, and their nurse, Stacy.

Learning Translates into Better Teaching for Child Care Provider

By Cynthia Pardo
Living in the small village of Kykotsmovi, Clarissa Humeyestewa has worked hard to achieve more for herself and her family. Since becoming a teacher at the Hopi Child Care Center in 2006, she has taken every opportunity to further her education and become a better child care provider. Through a First Things First T.E.A.C.H. scholarship, Clarissa is the first recipient from the Hopi Tribe to graduate from the program with her Child Development Associate (CDA) credential.

T.E.A.C.H. stands for Teacher Education And Compensation Helps. The scholarships, funded by the First Things First Coconino Regional Council, allow teachers, assistants and child care providers to enroll for 9 to 15 college credits toward a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential or an associate's degree or bachelor's degree in early childhood or an associated field.

Numerous studies and reports show that the professional development of early childhood care and education providers is directly linked to quality early learning. By promoting higher education, the program is helping to establish a well-qualified workforce for Arizona's young children and their families.

"(T.E.A.C.H.) has allowed me to gain knowledge in teaching and caring for the children at the Hopi Child Care Center. I am now able to make my own educational materials for the children to learn," said Clarissa, who teaches nine children in the mornings and about 15 from Head Start who arrive in the afternoon. "T.E.A.C.H. has impacted my career in learning current information to help and work with children."

Bernita Kuyaninvaya, Program Administrator of the Hopi Child Care Center, said she has seen the impact of Clarissa's learning in her teaching.

"(Clarissa) has shown strong abilities to work with the children; she provides great opportunities to incorporate positive skills development, literacy, language and meaningful experiences for all children involved," Bernita said. "She is dedicated and will go out of her way to do more than what is expected of her, especially now that T.E.A.C.H. has even given her more (education). Her (degree) will have a positive effect on the quality of care that she provides."

FTF Profiles

Meet Our South Phoenix Regional Council Chair

James Washington

James Washington has served on the South Phoenix Regional Council since its inception in 2008. Prior to his election as chair, James served as the inaugural vice chair for 3 years.

James was motivated to serve on a regional council of First Things First by his belief that all children need to be healthy in order to learn, and his desire to work with an organization in which an individuals can see first-hand the impact that strategic planning, changes in public policy and funding can make on children and families.

Currently, James is the Director of the Abrazo Health Care School-Based and Community Health Centers. He has served in this capacity for the past 12 years, working to increase access to primary medical and oral health care for uninsured children and their families. In September 2011, as part of an effort to expand health care and improve wellness and prevention services for the community, he collaborated with the Christown YMCA to open an integrated medical and dental clinic – the first clinic in a YMCA in the nation.

Some of the youngest children served by the health centers include pre-kindergarten students in Head Start. Through their daily work, James and his colleagues reviewed the conditions children were being treated for. They noticed that many children were coming to preschool with preventable health challenges that could pose a threat to their physical well-being and academic success. The mission of his program, and its alignment with the vision of First Things First, then prompted James to seek a seat on his local FTF regional council.

As a regional council member, James lends his expertise to discussions on the health needs of South Phoenix families and how those needs impact school readiness for young kids. He also brings to the council's work the perspective of a parent with a young child.

"As parents, we all want what is best for our children," James said. "But we don't know everything. It's important to provide parents the opportunity and the tools to learn about the importance of early childhood and the wide variety of ways that they can support their child's healthy development and education from birth on."

James is a native Arizonan who hails from Tucson. He holds both a Master's of Public Health and a bachelor's degree in health sciences from the University of Arizona. He is a founding member and Past President of the Arizona School-Based Health Care Council and currently serves on the Government Affairs Committee for the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care. Several years ago, he was honored as the Health Care Hero in Community Outreach by the Phoenix Business Journal.

When he is not working toward or advocating for the health of kids and families, James spends most of his time with his own family. He enjoys traveling with his wife and son and can frequently be spotted at the local Lego store, where he collects and constructs various Lego sets with his young son.

Meet Our Senior Director for Family Support

Dr. Aaliyah Samuel

Dr. Aaliyah Samuel is the First Things First Senior Director for Family Support. In this role, Aaliyah and her colleagues are responsible for the development, implementation and quality assurance for the family support strategies initiated and funded by First Things First. These include the Arizona Parent Kit, the Birth to 5 Helpline, home visitation, community based parent education, family resource centers and others that together are building a comprehensive system for supporting families throughout Arizona in their role as their child's first teachers.

Aaliyah's commitment to education – and her appreciation for the strong role family plays in helping children achieve in school – came from the strong women in her family.

As a child, Aaiyah saw how her grandmother struggled with literacy because of limited educational opportunities. When Aaliyah's family came to the U.S. from Panama, her mother stressed the importance of education and modeled that by earning her bachelor's degree when Aaliyah was in middle school. During her studies, Aaliyah's mother would take her and her sister to classes, and they would watch as she worked and studied to get ahead.

Because of those early experiences, Aaliyah became committed to her own education, but also the education of young children. She earned a bachelor's degree in child and adolescent psychology from Tuskegee University, a Master of Arts in special education and English Language Learners from the University of South Florida, and both a specialist degree in educational leadership and a Doctorate of Education in organizational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

She began her teaching career in special education with the Hillsborough County School District. After four years, she became a site based administrator, but her heart remained in the classroom. In fact, in her rare free moments, staff could always find her helping out with the kindergarten students.

Those moments in kindergarten highlighted for Aaliyah the importance of children being prepared when they arrived at school. That need was amplified when Aaliyah became a mother herself. Watching her son, Chaz, grow and learn at such a rapid rate reinforced the critical importance of the early years and the need for children to have high-quality early learning experiences.

So, it was no surprise that Aaliyah joined FTF in 2010 as regional director in the Santa Cruz region. After one year, she had the opportunity to take her commitment to supporting families in their role as their child's first teachers to a statewide level, and she stepped into her current role as Senior Director for Family Support.

When she is not working on supporting Arizona families, Aaliyah is busy with her own. She loves to spend time with friends and relatives, either wowing them with her amazing cooking skills or capturing their family memories with her skills as a photographer.

Aaliyah lives in Phoenix with her husband and son.

Meet Our Gila River Indian Community Regional Director

Cathy Thornton-Brown

Cathy Thornton-Brown is the First Things First Director for the Gila River Indian Community region. In this role, Cathy is responsible for the overall management of the Gila River Indian Community Regional Partnership Council. She is also responsible for coordinating with parents, community leaders, tribal leaders, local, state and federal government officials, private entities and faith-based groups to improve the quality of and access to early childhood development programs which effectively prepare children to start school ready to succeed.

Cathy brings to FTF more than a decade of experience working with brilliant individuals in diverse communities to improve the health and welfare of women and children. Her background includes serving as the Family and Community Partnerships Manager for the Colorado River Indian Tribes Head Start Program in Parker Arizona; and a Rural Health Peace Corps Volunteer in San Pedro, El Salvador. In each of these roles, Cathy's main objective was to build community capacity and sustainability around health and education.

Cathy grew up in Phoenix and has lived in both El Salvador and Thailand. She earned a bachelor's degree in justice studies, with minors in religion and Latin American studies from Arizona State University (ASU). She is currently pursuing her Master's Degree in Early Childhood at ASU.

She is married and had her first baby earlier this month. She also speaks Spanish, has one cat and still loves to travel.

Read more about your Regional Council Members.

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