A new source of online information for Spanish-speaking parents of babies, toddlers and preschoolers is available which can easily be accessed on smartphones, tablets and other devices. First Things First’s signature program, Quality First, launched a revamped mobile-friendly website in English early this year and now a companion Spanish-language website is also online.
The majority of today’s parents of young children are millennials, born between 1980 and 2000. Research shows that today’s parents need information that is convenient to access “in the moment.” In fact, smartphone usage triples after people become parents.
QualityFirstAZ.com offers parents a quick search tool to access a database of more than 1,000 Arizona child care centers participating in Quality First. Quality is one of the most important factors to consider, as research shows that quality early learning settings help children develop skills that are crucial to their success now and once they enter school, the website also offers parents tools for identifying quality.
Now, that information is also available in Spanish with a simple click of a button at the top of the main site’s home page.
The Spanish-language version of the Quality First website joins several other online resources available for Spanish-speaking parents of babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Others include the First Things First digital Parent Kit – or Guía para Padres de Familia – and Ages and Stages guides for children ages two months to 5 years old. Early childhood service providers and educators are encouraged to share the resources with families they work with.
Considering that Spanish is by far the most common language other than English spoken in Arizona (20%), offering these online resources is an important way to reach the many Spanish-speaking families in the state with important information on early childhood development.
