September Newsletter: Little Changes

September 2026 Newsletter

Little Changes

by Claire Louge, Executive Director

I was in the TSA screening line at Sky Harbor, bracing myself for the scramble of hoisting my overstuffed luggage onto the conveyor belt and removing various items of clothing without taking up too much space or time from the hurried travelers behind me. You know the feeling. It’s not a calming experience.

As usual, the agents managing each lane shouted instructions to people moving through, getting louder as they competed with chatter, intermittent announcements from the airport loudspeaker, dull thuds of bins being stacked, and the whir of industrial fans.

But not the agent in my lane. She did something completely different.

IMPACT

The Future of Prevention: Family Resource Centers innovate creative ways to support and strengthen families

by Sierra Morse, Communications and Marketing Strategist

Somewhere in Arizona today, a stuffed bear is visiting a family for the week. Sent home by their local Family Resource Center (FRC), this teddy bear is a part of a program that builds literacy and connection by inviting families to include the bear in their reading adventures. This is one of the countless creative examples of what FRCs in our state do to strengthen families.

Just under half a year into this job, I've become convinced FRCs are the future of how we support families in this state (and nation). FRCs are community-based hubs that build resilience and knowledge in parents, promote healthy child development, and provide or connect families to resources they may need, all tailored to the families walking through the door.

ADVOCACY

6,100 Signatures for 61 Years of Head Start: Add Yours Today

HHS's Administration for Children and Families has proposed removing over 1,400 regulations governing Head Start, the federal early-education program for low-income children. As written, the proposal would:

Eliminate research-based standards that support educational quality, child safety and healthy development.
Remove evidence-based teacher-child ratio requirements that support individualized learning and safe learning environments.
Reduce protections and services for infants, children with disabilities and multilingual learners.
Limit opportunities for parents to shape their local Head Start programs.
Make it more difficult for communities, especially rural communities, to sustain high-quality Head Start services.

Arizona has a goal of submitting 6,100 public comments. Please add your voice today at the link below.

Take Action with the Arizona Head Start Association

TODAY IN PREVENTION

'Families need an ecosystem of support.'

Proposed changes to Head Start could put vulnerable Arizona families at risk

Public broadcasting service AZPM PBS talks with Safford mom Gabby Berryhill to show what's behind the numbers — how individualized attention at Pima Head Start helped her son Lincoln thrive despite a speech delay. Our own Claire Louge weighs in on why child care is inseparable from abuse and neglect prevention: quality child care is part of the ecosystem that stabilizes families, and when that ecosystem is out of balance, families face greater risk of crisis.

Read the Full Story from AZPM

Is Our Definition of Prevention Right

for What Families Need?

We hear the word "prevention" constantly in this field, but do we all mean the same thing by it? In this crossover episode of WonkCast (hosted by Zach Laris) and Community In-Site (hosted by Valerie Frost), the two have a candid conversation about what's really behind that word, and why getting clear on it matters for the future of child and family policy.

Whether you work directly with families, shape policy, or just care about giving kids and parents the support they need before crisis happens, it's worth a listen.

Listen on Spotify

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Watch on YouTube

As a 501(c)3 organization, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona is eligible to receive bequests. Please contact Molly Peterson at molly@pcaaz.org if you would like to discuss including Prevent Child Abuse Arizona in your legacy.

Prevent Child Abuse Arizona can only accept donations from individuals, businesses, and foundations located in the State of Arizona.

Tax ID #86-0832901

Prevent Child Abuse Arizona is dedicated to strengthening families and protecting children through collaboration, education, and advocacy. The organization provides research-based prevention services, education and training to help promote strong families and safe, healthy children. For more information, visit pcaaz.org.