The latest news from UWNA. View as Webpage

From the desk of:

Liz Archuleta

President & CEO

Building the Case for Universal PreK. Last year, UWNA and its partners concluded a four-year pilot program to fill a critical gap in high-quality preschool services. Elevate PreK focused on families earning too much to qualify for state childcare subsidies, but too little to afford preschool costs out of pocket.

The program was a success, resulting in higher academic achievement and stronger social and emotional skills for children, and greater workforce participation by their parents.

With this evidence, we have deepened the conversation and are seeking partners as we explore a path to universal preschool, including working with our local government and business partners to identify funding sources and create a governance structure.

This is a cause that benefits not only children and families, but our region as a whole. Universal PreK is an economic driver - allowing parents to enter the workforce or increase their work hours. Meanwhile, children attending high-quality preschools are more likely to succeed academically, improving the quality of our future labor force.

Opening Books, Opening Worlds. Through our partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, we mailed 2,138 children a grand total of 11,244 books in 2025. DPIL mails out a book a month to instill a love of reading in the critical years between birth and kindergarten. These volumes are carefully chosen and often represent the first books a child will ever have.

Last year, UWNA and its partners also launched our first-ever Community Literacy Fairs in Flagstaff that drew more than 700 community members. These events offered free books, literacy kits, storytelling sessions and hands-on activities. The energy and enthusiasm at each of these events reminded us why this work matters so much.

KinderCamp™ Turned 20. We reached a major milestone with the KinderCamp program and launched a bold new effort to follow past KinderCampers throughout their entire school journey.

Over two decades, KinderCamp has prepared thousands of northern Arizonan children for the expectations (and excitement) of starting school. The program is focused on children with little preschool experience to ensure they are ready - academically, socially, and emotionally - for kindergarten.

Now, working with researchers from Northern Arizona University, we've begun work on KinderCamp™ & Beyond to connect KinderCamp graduates and their families with additional resources as they continue their academic careers. This effort will help us deepen our understanding of the long-term impacts of KinderCamp, and ensure that the investment made in these children at ages four and five continues all the way to their diploma - and beyond.

These are just a few chapters of a much bigger story of how together we are increasing youth opportunity in northern Arizona - a story that also includes the opening of the Bijou Teen Center in Holbrook, our recent Youth Experiencing Success (YES!) Leadership Summit, and outreach and support of our LGBTQ+ youth. I look forward to sharing more with you at the Community Impact Breakfast.

Until then, please know that none of this happens without you. Every child who received a book, every family who found affordable childcare, every KinderCamp graduate charting a new course is part of your legacy, too, and for that we are very grateful.

Please join United Way of Northern Arizona on Thursday, April 30th as we celebrate a year of impact and achievement and the many things we have done - together - to ensure that all can thrive in Coconino, Navajo, and Apache counties.