Page Header Graphic

Children

Piper Trust’s Commitment


All Children in Maricopa County deserve a happy, healthy, and safe childhood

  • Nurturing families produce children who arrive at adulthood prepared to contribute to society.
  • Coaching families and giving them help to nurture their children in the earliest years produces greater success than remedial aid to children and families later.
  • Adolescents with family and community encouragement fare better than their peers in avoiding risky behaviors.

Our Approach and What We Fund

1.  Improved Parent and Caregiver Child-Rearing Know-How

Teaching proper parenting, such as parent hotlines, classes for teen mothers and programs and assistance for dealing with difficult social and emotional stages in a child’s growth, pays off in greater numbers of thriving children.

Family programs in the home and convenient places like libraries help children prepare for school and achieve academic success. For example, the Raising A Reader program successfully takes early-literacy training directly to families and children in apartment buildings.

Special Trust Investment: The Arizona Parent Kit, given to new parents at birthing hospitals, is now administered by First Things First statewide.

2.  Assistance for Children without Resources or with Special Needs

Children and families in crisis find help from food banks, crisis nurseries, domestic violence shelters, behavioral health programs, and transitional housing for families and youth.

Vulnerable children get necessary aid addressing child abuse, living in poverty, and living with addicted parents.

Children with disabilities and their families gain assistance from programs that remove social, emotional, and physical barriers to their growth and learning.

Special Trust Investments: Vulnerable children benefit from the Adopt-A-Pool Fence project, the Back-to-School clothing program and the Child Abuse Prevention License Plate program.

3.  Enhanced Child Care Practices and Afterschool Care

Early childhood educators and youth mentors find helpful instruction in learning care practices, safety training, and manuals.

Afterschool facilities and activities at teen centers, as well as homeless youth hubs and mentoring programs, support youth and keep them engaged in productive activities.

4.  Integrated Early Childhood Policies and Practices

Special Trust Investment: Planning for the BUILD Initiative, a project of the Early Childhood Funders’ Collaborative, will guide state efforts to prepare children for success.