Child Crisis Arizona was able to expand its Early Education Services, in partnership with Maricopa County Head Start, due in part to a generous grant from Thunderbird Charities. The gift enables Child Crisis Arizona to remodel a portion of its Mesa facility to house two classroom spaces for 40 four- and five-year-old children, and construct child-size bathrooms and Head Start staff offices. The Head Start program is a collaboration with Maricopa County Head Start to provide educational services to children who are aging out of the Early Head Start program yet are too young to start Kindergarten.

The remodeled 4,300-square-foot Head Start classroom space is located at the Child Crisis Arizona Mesa campus, in the same building as the Early Head Start program. The one- to three-year-olds in the Early Head Start program have demonstrated a measurable, positive difference in achievement; therefore, giving children an opportunity to continue their education in a Head Start program will help better prepare them for success in Kindergarten. The two new classrooms are located in the same building where Child Crisis Arizona hosts parent education classes, community workshops and family activities.

“We could not be more thankful to Thunderbird Charities for their ongoing support,” said Child Crisis Arizona Chief Executive Officer Torrie Taj. “Their generous gift is allowing us to expand our education programs, and provide valuable services to families, many of whom lack access to quality early childhood education and parenting resources.”