JTED’s Early Childhood Center at Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson is the first Career and Technical Education preschool to receive a five-star rating from Arizona’s First Things First Initiative.
Funded by state tobacco taxes, First Things First (FTF) partners with parents and communities to support early childhood education and health for Arizona children from birth to age five.
FTF assesses all preschools in the state, and only four others have earned a five-star rating.
“This has been a multi-year process that has taken us through five grueling assessments,” says Jennifer Atteberry-Pierpont, Early Childhood director/teacher and CTE department head at CDO. “This is a fantastic accomplishment.”
According to the FTF website:
• 90 percent of a child’s brain develops by age five
• 60 percent of Arizona children spend all or part of their day with caregivers other than their parents
• Children in quality early learning programs do better in school, have better relationships with classmates and are more likely to graduate