Parenting is hard. For many parents, the prolonged COVID-19 crisis has made it even harder. Parents have been stretched thin and worrying about finances, their family’s health and their children’s care and development. Children have been impacted too, as the pandemic's far-reaching effects have disrupted their daily life and development. With...
Like many of our programs, Southwest Human Development’s Raising A Reader had to adapt to the COVID-19 health crisis. Raising A Reader is an early literacy program designed to educate parents about the importance of early literacy skills and how they can build these skills in their young children to...
In April, ZERO TO THREE published its annual State of Babies Yearbook, which provides nationwide and state-by-state data on the well-being of infants and toddlers. ZERO TO THREE ensured that the data collected for the 2021 Yearbook reflected the widespread effects of the coronavirus pandemic on babies and their families. While the...
National Volunteer Week is April 18-24 this year. We at Southwest Human Development are proud to recognize the contributions of all the volunteers who support us. Whether it be the individuals who deliver books to pediatrician clinics for our Reach Out and Read Program, corporate groups that build Reading Buddies...
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, raising awareness of the importance of resources and services to help families and communities work together to prevent child abuse and neglect. According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, "The single most important thing we can do is support families all year long...
Nearly two out of every three children in low-income communities don’t own a single children’s book, a fact that ultimately could have profound impacts even before entering kindergarten. “Research shows that all children benefit from a high-quality early childhood education experience, and that quality early education is especially important for children...
Every May, Southwest Human Development's Grow A Reader Virtual Book Drive helps provide books to young children in low-income Arizona communities. For companies and community volunteer organizations, Grow A Reader is an opportunity to support a charitable initiative and have fun while you're doing it! With many people still working...
In recent years, efforts have been made to include a wider range of people in media. Be it in movies, television, books, games or other media, audiences have called for more characters in media with whom they can relate. New voices are being heard and new perspectives shared, providing an...
Last month, we highlighted ZERO TO THREE's first of two virtual sessions of “Continuing the Dialogue: Infants and Toddlers Face Racism Too.” The webinar featured three child development specialists speaking about the history of developmental research, structural racism’s effects on child development and how biases are formed in early childhood. Read...
For the second year in a row, Mountain America Credit Union and the Arizona Coyotes have partnered for their “Guiding You Forward” program that supports Southwest Human Development's early literacy and assistive technology programs. "Mountain America is pleased to continue our support of Southwest Human Development through our Guiding You Forward program with the Arizona...