Arizona’s Children Association Receives National Recognition as a Blue Ribbon Affiliate

Endorsed Sites Demonstrate High-Quality Implementation of Evidence-Based Home Visiting

PHOENIX, AZ – Arizona’s Children Association (AzCA) has earned a prestigious endorsement from Parents as Teachers National Center, Inc., (PATNC) as a Blue Ribbon Affiliate, making it one of the top-performing home visiting affiliates within Parents as Teachers’ international network. The official designation was made in October 2022.

Being named a Blue Ribbon Affiliate affirms that AzCA is a high-quality member of the home visiting field, implementing the evidence-based Parents as Teachers model with fidelity. Families in Arizona are positively impacted by the services delivered by this program.

The program includes home visits, group connections, child screening, and connections to community resources. It equips parents with knowledge and resources to prepare their children for a stronger start in life and greater success in school.

“To earn the Blue Ribbon Endorsement, we underwent a rigorous self-study and review process from the National Center. The process confirms that we are meeting Parents as Teachers’ standards of fidelity and quality,” said Arizona’s Children Association Parent Educator Sandra Vicars. “Blue Ribbon Affiliates are exemplary programs, delivering the highest quality services to children and families.”

Implementation with quality and fidelity is vital in home-visiting programs as it determines a program’s effectiveness in accomplishing its original goals and intended outcomes. It also verifies that a program is being implemented as designed. Parents as Teachers’ rigorous endorsement process demonstrates an affiliate's accountability and credibility to the community, its funders, elected officials, and the partner organizations with which they work.

About Arizona’s Children Association
For 110 years, Arizona’s Children Association (AzCA) has stayed true to “Protecting Children, Empowering Youth, Strengthening Families,” serving more than 30,000 children, individuals and families across the state. It is one of the oldest and largest statewide child welfare and behavioral health nonprofit agencies in Arizona. Learn more at http://www.ArizonasChildren.org.

About Parents as Teachers
Parents as Teachers (PAT) builds strong communities, thriving families, and children that are healthy, safe, and ready to learn. The internationally-recognized evidence-based home visiting model is backed by more than 35 years of research-proven outcomes for children and families. Parents As Teachers National Center, Inc., is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. Parents as Teachers affiliates operate in various settings, including health departments, hospitals, and schools, faith-based and non-profit organizations. For more information, visit http://www.parentsasteachers.org or Twitter @NatlPAT.