Volunteer to be a voice for young children in your Arizona community

Are you passionate about children's issues and want to provide vision and leadership on the early childhood programs available to young kids in your community? Then First Things First (FTF) needs you.

FTF is Arizona’s early childhood agency and is looking for about 150 volunteers who will collaborate with other dedicated community members in local communities across the state.?

The application process is a simple?online application ?found at?FirstThingsFirst.org/serve .

Volunteering on a regional council is a unique leadership opportunity to make a positive impact on children and families in our community. Regional council members have a passion for ensuring that every baby, toddler and preschooler in Arizona has every opportunity to succeed. They help define priorities for the local services and supports for young children and their families. By collaborating with other dedicated community members, regional council members provide opportunities for young children to get a strong start in life.

Research has shown a child’s early experiences lay the foundation for a lifetime of success in school and beyond.?FTF partners with parents and communities to give children birth to age 5 the tools they need to arrive at kindergarten prepared to succeed. Regional councils made up of community volunteers inform decisions about how FTF can help strengthen families, expand early learning opportunities and increase access to preventive health services in their area.

FTF is accepting applications in its 28 regions from various backgrounds for seats that are open either due to vacancy or terms about to expire. Regional council members must live or work in this region. The regional councils are comprised of the following representative:

• Business person
• Child care provider
• Early childhood educator
• Faith community representative
• Health services provider
• Parent of a child 5 or younger
• Philanthropy representative
• Public school administrator
• Tribal representative
• Other (at-large seat)

If you or someone you know can commit to about 10 hours per month to make a difference in the lives of young children in our community, please visit?FirstThingsFirst.org/serve . There, you can learn about the volunteer positions available in your area, read a detailed description of the position, and fill out an application.

The job of getting kids ready for school starts the day they are born. Please consider lending your expertise, insight and community spirit to help ensure that all Arizona children are ready to succeed in kindergarten and beyond.