Nationally, more than 50% of low-income working families use kith and kin (family and friend) child care providers. The Arizona Kith and Kin Project offers training and support to improve the quality of care provided by family, friends and neighbors.

In 2006, the Project provided training and support to 385 kith and kin child care providers in Maricopa and Pinal Counties, thereby impacting the level of care for over 1,100 children. As part of the Project’s safety component, 145 providers became CPR and First Aid certified and 300 car seats were provided and installed.

In Arizona and across the nation, a growing number of children and youth are not engaged in out-of-school time programs. Phone Friend is a bilingual after school phone line that provides an opportunity for children and youth to participate in safe activities while home alone, in sibling care, or simply in need of extra support and guidance. Phone Friend also provides in-classroom trainings on abduction prevention, home alone safety and Internet safety.

In 2006, Phone Friend fielded 13,840 calls from children throughout the state, with the help of 103 community volunteers who donated over 1,590 hours of service. Phone Friend safety trainings reached over 15,000 children and parents in 45 elementary schools and community sites throughout Maricopa County. In addition, an estimated 2,500 children logged on to the Phone Friend website www.phonefriendaz.org.

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death among children age 14 years and younger in the United Sates. The Child Care Injury Prevention Program offers education, materials and resources to child care providers to decrease the unintentional injury and death rate in children.

In 2006, the Injury Prevention Program provided 31 trainings on crib safety, home safety, child passenger safety and CPR/ First Aid and distributed safety items including cribs, car seats, outlet covers, fire extinguishers, smoke detectors and first aid kits to 58 child care providers.