Children and Family Services Family Support Programs

Arizona Early Intervention Program: We have been providing Arizona Early Intervention Program (AzEIP) services for infants and toddlers with special needs for more than 25 years. For the past ten years, we have been the exclusive AzEIP contractor to receive referrals and determine eligibility in Cochise, Pima, Pinal, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, and Santa Cruz counties, in addition to providing ongoing AzEIP services in these areas. Beginning in 2013, these services will also be provided in southeastern Maricopa County. Through the referral process, we provide team-based comprehensive evaluations across all developmental domains for children birth to 36 months of age. If the child qualifies, our multi-disciplinary team provides families with information, coaching, and referrals related to enhancing their child’s development within the context of natural routines and activities. In 2011, this program provided nearly 3,000 assessments and provided ongoing services for more than 1,000 families.

For more information, please contact (520) 792-2636 x227 or x217 

Early Head Start: In partnership with Child-Parent Centers, we have provided Early Head Start (EHS) services since 2004. EHS (home and/or center-based program) is designed to enhance children’s physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development; assist pregnant women to access comprehensive prenatal and postpartum care; support parents to fulfill their parental roles; and help parents to move toward self-sufficiency. We provide evidence-based home visitation EHS services throughout Pima, Cochise, and Graham counties for pregnant mothers and children birth to age three.

For more information on Pima County services, please contact: 520-325-6495

For more information on Cochise County services, please contact: 520-452-9784

For more information on Graham County services, please contact: 928-348-8825

Parents as Teachers: Funded by five First Things First Regional Partnership Councils, serving the entirety of Pima, Cochise, and Yuma counties, our Parents as Teachers (PAT) programs provide a comprehensive array of evidence-based services for pregnant mothers and families with young children. PAT emphasizes providing services for families of children with special health and/or developmental needs (including those with a broad range of physical and developmental disabilities and/or delays), as well as for low-income families and teen parents. Goals are implemented through comprehensive home visitation services; assisting families in accessing prenatal care and ongoing health care services; strengthening parent-child relationships; improving parent’s skills to be their child’s first teacher; providing information and education on developmentally-appropriate learning opportunities with a focus on early language and literacy development; providing early and regular health, mental health, and developmental screenings; providing regular group meetings and trainings (Family Connections) in which families receive opportunities to learn new skills and build support networks; and coordinating service delivery with other home visiting programs, family support services, and resources. The four individual programs are as follows: 

• Pima Parents as Teachers: This program is provided in partnership with Amphitheater Public Schools, Casa de los Niños, and the Sunnyside Unified School District and serves Pima County. Services are provided for children prenatal to age five, with a focus on enrolling families of children in the prenatal, infant, and toddler stages.

For more information, please contact: 520-795-4977

• Yuma Parents as Teachers – Special Needs: Since 2011 this program has served Yuma County children, birth to age four, who are not eligible for the Arizona Early Intervention Program but exhibit developmental and/or medical challenges.

For more information, please contact 928-276-9225

• Yuma Parents as Teachers: This program serves at-risk Yuma County children, prenatal to age three. This program began July 2012 and will serve 185 families annually.

For more information, please contact 928-276-9225

• Cochise Parents as Teachers: This program is provided in partnership with Cochise Health and Social Services, serving at-risk Cochise County children, prenatal to age four. This program began July 2012 and we will serve 100 families annually.

For more information, please contact 520-452-9784

Parent Aide: The Parent Aide (PA) program, funded by the Arizona Department of Economic Security, supports families and children involved with CPS. PA is a rigorous program that builds the long-term capacity of parents to problem solve, maintain employment, and gain an understanding of the skills they need to provide nurturing care for their children in a stable, permanent home. Our Family Support Specialists (Parent Aides) conduct family and child assessments; develop individualized plans; provide parenting education related to child development, home safety, and self-sufficiency; and provide linkages to community resources. We have been providing Parent Aide services continuously in Pima County since 1998 and serve more than 400 children annually. We recently began providing this service in Yuma and La Paz counties, as a subcontractor for Southwest Human Development, in July 2012.

For more information on Pima County services, please contact: 520-795-4977 x233.

For more information on Yuma and La Paz county services, contact: 928-276-9225.

Nurse-Family Partnership: Since 2009, the First Things First Central Pima Regional Partnership Council has funded an Easter Seals Blake Foundation and Casa de los Niños partnership to provide the evidence-based, community health home visitation program Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP). NFP provides at-risk, first-time mothers with medical home visitation, delivered by trained Registered Nurses, from the first trimester to the child’s second birthday. NFP is one of the most extensively studied family support models and is supported by 30 years of research that shows: program participation leads to more healthy, full-term pregnancies; reductions in child abuse and neglect; improvements in child’s language development and academic achievement test scores; and reduction in family’s use of welfare and other government assistance.

For more information, please contact: 520-795-4977 x208.

Newborn Intensive Care Program/Pediatric Intensive Caring Program: Newborn Intensive Care Program/Pediatric Intensive Caring Program (NICP/PICP) services are provided through the Arizona Department of Health Services High Risk Perinatal Program and two First Things First Regional Partnership Councils (Cochise and Pinal), respectively. We have provided NICP services since 1999 in Pima, Cochise, Graham, and Greenlee Counties, and in Pinal County since 2009. The program provides a coordinated system of specialized nursing consultation for medically at-risk infants and toddlers who have spent five or more days in a hospital newborn intensive care unit. Pediatric nurses provide support for transitions from hospital to home; developmental coaching; referrals to community resources; interconception support and education to the family; as well as conduct developmental, physical, psychosocial, and environmental assessments, and a maternal well-being and post-partum screening. Combined, these Community Health Nursing Programs serve approximately 300 families per year.

For information on Pima County services, please contact: 520-207-7310

For information on Cochise, Graham, and Greenlee services, contact: 520-452-9784

For information on Pinal County services, please contact: 520-723-4429

New Visions for Families Early Childhood Mental Health Services: Funded by Community Partnership of Southern Arizona (CPSA), Providence, Casa de los Niños, Cenpatico, Marana Health Center, and Pantano Behavioral Health, this program has provided a continuum of mental health services (including comprehensive developmental assessments, individualized treatment interventions, and the facilitation of Child and Family Teams) for children birth to age eight, and their families, since 2004. This service is provided in nine AZ counties (Cochise, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, and Yuma), and served 696 children in 2011. Participating children with initial ASQ:SE scores indicating serious social-emotional issues raised their average scores by 32 points after six months of program involvement, and more than half retested in the “normal” range. In 2011, 41% of CPS-involved families successfully achieved reunification and 74% of children received a timely, permanent placement with their parents or close relative.

For more information, please contact: 520-207-7310.

New Visions for Families Urgent Response: Funded by CPSA since 2004, this program provides observation and initial assessment within 24 hours of CPS removal for Pima County children birth to age five. Clinical staff complete appropriate standardized assessments, attend court hearings, observe parent-child interactions during supervised visitations, and convene and facilitate Child and Family Teams to promote an integrated approach to the therapeutic process. In 2011, 706 children were served through this program.

For more information, please contact: 520-207-7310.

In-Home Family Preservation and Reunification Services: This ADES-funded program provides intensive and comprehensive family-centered services including counseling, case management, parent education, communication skills, domestic violence intervention and education, behavioral management/modification, home management skills, and links to community resources. These services are intended to improve the well-being of families, enhance family functioning, foster self-reliance, reduce risk factors, and stabilize families. We were a collaborating partner with the Arizona Partnership for Children for eight years and has begun providing In-Home Family services in Yuma and La Paz counties, as a subcontractor for Southwest Human Development, in July 2012.

For more information, please contact: (928) 276-9225

Transportation Services: Funded by ADES and Providence Behavioral Health, we has been providing transportation services for Pima County children in the CPS system since 1996, without accidents, major disruptions, or driving violations. Children are transported to medical, behavioral health, and therapy appointments, as well as to visitation sessions with biological family members.

For more information, please contact: 520-795-4977.