Mixed emotions about Arizona

I love my state.  I was born in Tucson, went to college in Flagstaff and raised my children in Phoenix.  Business casual flip flops, patio dining in February and a plethora of activities and events year-round make living here a no-brainer. I even like the occasional Haboob for the Armageddon-like news reports followed by the smell of wet Creosote. 

At the same time, I am occasionally embarrassed when I tell people where I am from. “Wow, do you have to send your kids to private school?” (Nope, both went to a public college-prep high school and did very well, thank you.) “Oh, are there any jobs in Arizona that aren’t related to golf” (Yes, Arizona was practically built on the Aviation industry and Biomedical jobs are growing at three times the national rate.)  “Did you hear what Jon Stewart said about Arizona?” (Which time?) “Oh, you had a crazy governor.” (Which one?)  I know our state is truly a great place to live... natural beauty in abundance and a citizenry made up of people of resilience and resoluteness that can find opportunities in the driest of wells.  However; we are still young by state standards and we are a work in progress.  From creating sustainable economies in a state mostly populated by transplants and transient residents to crafting a fair and equitable education system, we’ve got our work cut for us.  But with all of the divisive issues that generate line-in-the sand arguments, there is one thing all residents of Arizona can pretty much agree on – We need to do better; especially for our children.

The latest report from the KIDS COUNT? Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks the Arizona 46th out of 50 states in critical conditions for children.  (Sorry Nevada, Louisiana, New Mexico and Mississippi. Wait, how did Oklahoma get in front of us? #nodisrespecttoOklahoma). While, we’ve made some strides including increases in fourth grade reading scores and decreases in babies born to teen moms, one of the scariest indictors of continuing doom is the increase in the number of Arizona children living in poverty - up 24 percent since 2008.

So how do we work on getting better?  One of the best ways is support our littlest residents.  Recently Arizona received a $20 million federal grant that plans to expand high quality preschool programs for four-year-old children living in high need communities.  Don’t think high quality preschools are important? Check out the information at Expect More Arizona or First Things First for more insight. Early Childhood Education and its supportive programs are the building blocks for future success.  As Dana Wolfe Naimark, President and CEO of Children’s Action Alliance, says “Arizona can’t achieve our goals for third grade reading, high school graduation, and college and career readiness with so many children starting kindergarten already behind”. 

And we, each one of us, needs to put our own skin in the game.  WE need to ensure that Arizona public and private funding continues to support early childhood initiatives including making our own personal charitable contributions.  WE also need to advocate and implore our Governor and state legislature to work together to expand early educational opportunities for a stronger workforce and a stronger community down the road. Arizona, to be the state WE should be, WE need to be in it for the long term. That means investing early in our youngest citizens and being patient to see the pay off in the future.