SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INCORPORATED

HEAD START AND EARLY HEAD START: THE PROGRAMS WORK WITH INCOME-ELIGIBLE FAMILIES TO PROVIDE A VARIETY OF EDUCATIONAL, HEALTH, DENTAL, NUTRITIONAL AND SOCIAL SERVICE RESOURCES. HEAD START PROVIDES CHILDREN WITH HIGH-QUALITY PRESCHOOL EDUCATION, ALONG WITH HEALTH SCREENINGS, SOCIAL SERVICES AND PARENT TRAINING. EARLY HEAD START HELPS PARENTS WITH CHILD DEVELOPMENT, PARENTING AND LIFE SKILLS DURING THE PRENATAL PERIOD AND IN YEARS BEFORE THEIR BABY IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM. EACH OF THESE PROGRAMS HELP FAMILIES LEARN HOW TO ENSURE THEIR CHILDREN ARE READY FOR KINDERGARTEN SUCCESS AND TO SUSTAIN THEIR DEVELOPMENT AND LEARNING PROCESS. TWELVE OF OUR SITES OFFER EXTENDED DAY HOURS THAT OPERATES YEAR-ROUND FROM 7:00AM TO 5:30PM, DIRECTLY ALIGNING WITH OUR MISSION AS THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR EARLY EDUCATION RESEARCH AND OTHERS HAVE FOUND THAT CHILDREN IN FULL-DAY PRESCHOOL PROGRAMS BEGIN KINDERGARTEN BETTER PREPARED THAN CHILDREN IN HALF-DAY PROGRAMS. DURING FISCAL YEAR 2025, SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT'S PROGRAMS SERVED 830 CHILDREN AT ITS 20 SITES LOCATED AT THE FOLLOWING SCHOOL DISTRICTS: BALSZ, CREIGHTON, OSBORN, AND PARADISE VALLEY. IN ADDITION, SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVED APPROXIMATELY 319 CHILDREN IN OUR EXTENDED DAY SITES IN FISCAL YEAR 2025.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING AND LITERACY: SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT OFFERS NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED EDUCATION AND TRAINING PROGRAMS TO PROFESSIONALS AND ORGANIZATIONS WORKING WITH YOUNG CHILDREN ACROSS ARIZONA, THE U.S. AND INTERNATIONALLY. THE AGENCY IS COMMITTED TO TRAINING THAT IS INTERACTIVE AND APPLICABLE TO EVERYDAY WORK WITH CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. KEY ELEMENTS INCLUDE GROUP PARTICIPATION, DISCUSSION OF REAL-LIFE PROBLEMS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF IDEAS LEARNED DURING THE TRAINING EXPERIENCE. CORE PROGRAMS INCLUDE LANGUAGE AND LITERACY COMMUNITIES, QUALITY FIRST ACADEMY, QUALITY FIRST ASSESSMENT AND QUALITY FIRST COACHING / INCENTIVES. DURING FISCAL YEAR 2025, WE PROVIDED 8,295 COACHING HOURS TO EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS, TRAINED 1,624 EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS AND PERFORMED 3,438 CHILD CARE ASSESSMENTS. OUR EARLY COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY PROGRAMS HELP YOUNG CHILDREN BUILD THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL READERS NOW, WHILE LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR LIFELONG LITERACY. DURING FISCAL YEAR 2025, WE SERVED 65,204 CHILDREN AND PARTNERED WITH 50 MEDICAL PRACTICES. ALSO CENTRAL TO THIS WORK IS THE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE (PDI) AT EDUCARE ARIZONA, WHICH WAS FOUNDED IN 2018 WITH THE VISION TO ACT AS THE STATE'S LEADING EARLY LEARNING PROFESSIONAL WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT ENTITY. ITS GOAL IS TO IMPROVE EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION TEACHER QUALITY AND PRACTICE, WHICH WILL LEAD TO BETTER OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN, INCLUDING PREPARATION FOR KINDERGARTEN AND BEYOND. A CENTRALIZED INSTITUTE AT EDUCARE ARIZONA BRINGS ALL OF THE COMPONENTS NEEDED FOR A HIGH-QUALITY EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO ONE PLACE, ACTING AS A LIVING LABORATORY AND PROVIDING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR DIRECT OBSERVATION OF HIGH-QUALITY TEACHING PRACTICES AND ENVIRONMENTS AND HANDS-ON LEARNING FOCUSED ON INDIVIDUAL TEACHER AND/OR DIRECTOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT NEEDS. DURING FISCAL YEAR 2025, THE PDI PERFORMED 3,482 COACHING SESSIONS TO CHILD CARE CENTERS, TRAINED 2,393 EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION PROFESSIONALS. THE SUPPORT LINE RECEIVED 657 CALLS TO ASSIST CHILD CARE CENTERS AND 53 CHILD CARE CENTERS WERE ENROLLED IN BOOKKEEPING SESSIONS.