First Things First: $2.6 million to Navajo

Navajo Nation leaders and officials from First Things First celebrate the allocation of more than $2.6 million to the tribe. Courtesy photo

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

ST. MICHAELS — The Navajo Nation celebrated its funding allocation of more than $2.6 million from the First Things First program. A symbolic check was made out to the children of the Navajo Nation and presented to President Joe Shirley by First Things First Board Chairwoman Nadine Mathis Basha Tuesday morning.

“We have been told that this funding will continue for the next ten years … so we are guaranteed almost $26 million from this program,” first lady Vikki Shirley said.

The president said that the program affects about 12,000 young children.

The money for the program, which seeks to improve the lives of children under 5 years old, comes from tax on tobacco in the state of Arizona. The premise behind First Things First is to invest in the state’s children because healthy children benefit society, according to the program’s literature.

Each region in the state gets funded based on a formula and has a partnership council that works with the community to accomplish the goals of First Things First to improve the health and education of young children.

For the Navajo region, proposals will be made to the Navajo Nation Regional Partnership Council to achieve the three goals of First Things First in the area.

The largest amount of money for the Navajo region’s goals — $1.2 million — will be going to develop quality early care and education that is culturally responsive. That will include expanding the capacity for centers already in operation and getting more child care providers licensed.

“Each one of our communities — we have 110 — needs childcare centers,” President Shirley said during his remarks.

The center where the ceremony was held is the flagship of the Navajo Nation’s childcare centers. The tribe has been working on the Karigan child care center for the past ten years and wants to get its 27 other centers up to the same level as Karigan, said Alfred Yazzie, program manager for the Navajo Nation’s child care and development.

“There’s no other childcare center on Navajo that’s like this,” he said.

“The reason why we’re putting money into this center is because we’re always at full capacity. We’re practically run over by children,” Yazzie said.

More than $800,000 will be going toward family and community outreach and education on the importance of early child care, health and education. Another $600,000 will address the need for well-trained and qualified childcare workers through funding for scholarship and incentive programs.

Funding for First Things First was mandated by the Arizona taxpayers through a proposition vote, Basha said.

“We’d like to have the powers that be out there in the state — the governor, the legislature — we’d like to have them acknowledge that … and remember that it was a mandate from the voters,” first lady Shirley said. She also noted that the Navajo Nation advocated for the passage of the proposition.

First Things First officials and Navajo leaders touted the economic benefits of giving children a good start.