Cocopah Tribe receives state money for early childhood development

  The Cocopah Indian Tribe's efforts to monitor and improve early childhood development recently received a $19,391 boost from the state of Arizona.

  The Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board recently granted the funds through its First Things First program, according to Liz Pratt, director of communications for the Cocopah Indian Tribe.

  Pratt said the tribe will use the funds to monitor infant and child development through home visits and parent education. The money will also go toward providing parenting classes and providing family support and onsite family childcare consultation.

  These priorities were set by the Cocopah Regional Partnership Council, which conducted a needs assessment and solicited feedback from community members.

  "The tribe is happy to have the availability of these funds to address the First Things First strategies that were identified as priorities by the community and parents with children in this age range," Pratt said.

 The funding targets the health and development of children ages birth to 5 years old. Additional emphasis is given to children living in poverty.

 "The tribe recognizes how important these children are, because they are the tribe's future," Pratt said.

  The funding for First Things First comes from an 80-cent state tobacco tax passed in 2006.

  The Cocopah Regional Partnership Council was created in March 2008 to assess the tribe's needs and recommends which First Things First programs would fit the tribal community's needs.

---
Darin Fenger can be reached at
dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.