The 2025 Families First Forum is almost here, happening Monday, November 3, 2025, at South Mountain Community College. 

This annual, half-day convening brings together advocates, policymakers, and community leaders to learn the latest on factors impacting the state and federal budget, and policy changes impacting the lives of Arizona’s children and families. 

We’re honored to feature two national voices who will help set the stage for this year’s discussion: 

Alberto A. González, Jr., MPP
Deputy Senior Director, State Government Relations – Families USA
Alberto provides strategic leadership for Families USA’s state-level advocacy efforts. He previously served as Chief Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), leading major expansions in health and nutrition assistance programs. His career spans roles at UnidosUS, Community Catalyst, California Immigrant Policy Center (CIPC) and the California State Assembly. 

Katie Hamm, MPA
Principal – Next Step Early Childhood LLC
Katie is the former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Early Childhood Development at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Previously, she served as Vice President for Early Childhood Policy at the Center for American Progress and worked at the U.S. Office of Management and Budget on budget and policy issues related to human services programs. 

It’s a time for us to stay informed and to work collaboratively. Please join us - and please share this invitation with colleagues and networks who may be interested.

Our hearts are full of joy from sharing a meal in community while celebrating our extraordinary honorees. We are so thankful to everyone who helped make the 2025 Champions for Children Awards Luncheon a remarkable success. Whether you attended, sponsored, donated, or supported us, your contribution fuels our mission. 

To those who attended, thank you for your presence and dedication to supporting our work to strengthen Arizona for children and families. 

Congratulations again to our 2025 Champions!

Thank you to our Leadership Honorees: 

• Victoria Gray, Gray Nickel
• Claire Louge, Prevent Child Abuse Arizona
• Jessica Rivera-Garcia, Arizona Head Start Association
• Dr. Eric Schindler
• Vitalyst Foundation

In addition, we are proud to honor:

• Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Governor of the Gila River Indian Community, as our Jacquee Steiner Public Official of the Year 
• Honorable Mary Rose Wilcox, former city council member and county supervisor, as the Lifetime Achievement Honoree. 

We were honored to celebrate their commitment to service, unwavering leadership, and lasting impact on the lives of families and children across Arizona. 

Our sincere gratitude to our incredible sponsors. Their support is foundational to this gathering and to our ability to carry out our mission. 

Big shoutout to Los Mariachi Tigres de Tolleson and their director, Dr. Casillas. for kicking off our event for a second year in a row. What a talent! These elementary students have won awards and traveled the United States, captivating audiences in prestigious venues. We could not be more honored to have them perform at our event. 

Lastly, we are forever grateful to the amazing Tom McNamara for bringing joy to the stage as the Master of Ceremonies of our event! 

As we conclude our successful 2025 Champions for Children annual event, we feel honored and in gratitude to do this work alongside incredible change makers. United, we inspire change to build an Arizona where all children and families can thrive.

This week is dedicated to education and action as part of the national #CareNotCuts Week of Action. Please join us in taking action yourself. 

Enhanced Premium Tax Credits make health insurance affordable for more than 20 million people - helping families see a doctor, fill prescriptions, and avoid crushing medical debt. But instead of making the tax credits permanent earlier this year, Congress passed the biggest health care cuts in U.S. history. Now families are at risk of higher premiums, lost coverage, and more medical debt. 

Without Congressional action, the tax credits will end, and families with marketplace plans will quickly see skyrocketing health care premiums, forcing many to lose their health care. 

In 2025, nearly 425,000 Arizonans purchased health care through the ACA marketplace, and the vast majority of them utilized premium tax credits to make their premiums more affordable.This includes many who are self-employed or own small businesses.

This should not be a partisan issue in Congress. Majorities of Democrats (92%) and Republicans (59%) want Congress to extend these expiring tax credits. Congress should listen to the families they serve, not force them to lose their health care. It’s up to us to make sure our friends, family, neighbors, and members of Congress know what affordable health care means for us.

What can you do to take action today?

📲- Use social media with the hashtag #CareNotCuts to share this email or an article that explains how the end of enhanced premium tax credits will hurt Arizonans in their pocketbooks: 

• Arizona PBS: Arizona health insurance premiums to surge as tax credits end 
• KJZZ: Arizonans will see big price increases next year for ACA marketplace health plans 

📈💰 - Use the premium calculator to estimate how much more you would pay in premiums if the enhanced premium tax credits expire 

📝 - Share your story with a local news outlet, on social media, or with your elected officials to bring attention to why being able to afford health insurance impacts you. 

Let’s all stay informed and take action to preserve affordable health insurance premiums.

Every family and each Arizonan should be able to afford health coverage, regardless of their zip code or income. Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans have helped make this a reality for many.  

However, Congress must take action now to preserve the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits (EPTC’s) that make ACA plans affordable. Without immediate Congressional action, the tax credits will end, and low- and middle- income families with marketplace plans will quickly see skyrocketing health care premiums, forcing many to lose their health care.

In 2025, a record number of Arizonans, nearly 425,000, purchased health care through the ACA marketplace. Nearly 93% of enrollees also utilize premium tax credits, which make health care insurance more affordable. This includes many who are self-employed or own small businesses.

It’s important to understand the hit to a family’s budget if Congress fails to preserve these tax credits. Without the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits, a family of four making $95,000 will see their annual premiums for a benchmark plan increase from $5,795 to $8,218. That is an increase of over $200 per month! Families cannot afford that type of increase.

Earlier this year, Congress made harmful changes and cuts in their 2025 budget reconciliation bill, formally titled the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, forcing insurers to increase premiums in anticipation of expected increases in uncompensated care. 

The Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions projects the cost for Arizona marketplace plans will increase 2.5% to 55% for 2026.

No one should have to forgo medical treatment or take on medical debt because they cannot afford health insurance. Enhanced Premium Tax Credits are essential because they reduce those hard decisions that families and small business owners must make. With this option, a parent could afford both groceries and health care, a child can see a doctor when they’re sick, and a small business owner can stay insured without going broke.

Congress took care of our country’s highest earners with large tax cuts earlier this year. Congress should end the year by supporting the rest of us.

Ask Congress to act now to make the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits permanent to protect health care for Arizonans!

Each year, Children’s Action Alliance gathers the community to celebrate the amazing work happening for children and families in Arizona.

We are proud to introduce the 2025 Champions for Children extraordinary honorees:

Honorable Mary Rose Wilcox, Lifetime Achievement Award 

Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Jacque Steiner Public Leadership Award

The Vitalyst Health Foundation, Organizational Leader Award

And we are proud to announce our 2025 Outstanding Leader Awardees:

On October 9, starting at 11:30 AM, we will honor their bold and unwavering leadership and advocacy for families and children in Arizona at the Champions for Children Luncheon.

We are thrilled to celebrate these exceptional individuals and share good food and company together as we celebrate wins, big and small, and strengthen our resolve and commitment to make Arizona’s children a priority.

Buy a ticket to join us to celebrate!

This September, in recognition of National Kinship Care Month, Children’s Action Alliance honors the more than 57,000 kinship caregivers in Arizona – grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and extended family members who have stepped up to care for children when parents cannot.

Kinship caregivers are a stabilizing force in children’s lives. They help preserve family ties, cultural identity, and community connection. Yet, too often, these families take on full-time caregiving responsibilities with little to no preparation, support, or access to critical services.

The Caregivers' Message Is Clear: They Need Support.

At a January 2025 Kinship Caregiver Forum hosted by Children’s Action Alliance and Seeds Community Center in Tucson, families shared the realities they face of legal barriers, financial strain, and emotional trauma. Rural caregivers emphasized the urgent need for local access to mental health services, therapy, and specialists.

Too often, families are forced to choose between legal guardianship and accessing essential benefits. This creates unnecessary instability for families already doing everything they can.

Kinship Care Is a Solution That Can be Strengthened with Public Investment

Kinship care is proven to be one of the most stable, supportive, and effective options for children who cannot remain with their parents. We must ensure that caregivers are not penalized for doing the right thing. That means:

• Expanding access to financial support so more families can meet the needs of and care for their grandchildren, siblings, or other relatives—without falling into financial hardship. Children’s Action Alliance will continue to advocate for the restoration of support for kinship caregivers who are also raising children outside of the DCS system.

• Prioritizing trauma-informed, community-based mental health services in rural areas—so children and caregivers can access the support they need close to home.

• Protecting essential benefits when families pursue legal permanency—so they can provide long-term stability without losing the support that makes caregiving possible.

• Increasing public investment in kinship navigator programs—so families can easily connect to vital services like school enrollment, health care, and legal support.

Investing in Kinship Care Is Investing in Arizona’s Future

Kinship caregivers are raising the next generation of Arizonans. Their resilience should be met with meaningful support – legally, financially, and emotionally. The good news is that Arizona children are being placed with kinship caregivers at a much higher rate than the national rate.

Let’s ensure more kinship caregivers can survive and thrive when they take on the special duty of stepping in to care for children. This month, and every month, Children’s Action Alliance stands with kinship families.

Children’s Action Alliance (CAA) strives to create an Arizona where all children and families thrive. In our work at the state Capitol and in communities throughout Arizona, CAA is an independent voice for Arizona children. We work with elected officials, community partners, people with lived experience, and coalitions to advance the early care and education, health, safety, and economic stability of our state’s children and families.  

CAA believes every lawmaker is responsible for voting for kids and that our legislators should be held accountable.  

This 2025 Legislative Scorecard tracks votes on key bills CAA identified as priorities for children and that shape the education, health, safety, and well-being of Arizona children and families. 

Please check out the 2025 Legislative Scorecard, learn how your elected representatives voted, and let them know that you know who’s for kids and who’s just kidding.

State law requires that Arizona pass a budget by June 30 of each year. As the clock ticks towards this deadline, Children’s Action Alliance continues to advocate for priorities that will help grow strong and healthy children in Arizona.

We’ve laid out our priorities for children and families, and we’re seeing some positive investments in the bipartisan budget that the Senate Appropriations Committee passed yesterday. This budget framework was negotiated between Governor Hobbs, Senate Republican legislators, and Senate and House Democratic legislators. 

Investing in Child Care/Early Care – Child care in Arizona remains too expensive for too many families. CAA has made the elimination of the child care assistance waitlist a priority, so that eligible families in Arizona can receive the help they need to afford child care. Our ask is $120 million to help children get off the waitlist. The budget proposal doesn’t provide the full amount, but it does include an allocation of $45 million from the General Fund to cut the waitlist in half. This investment dwarfs any state investment in child care in the last decade, and is a must-pass item.

Preventing Child Hunger through School Meals – As the costs of groceries continue to rise, school meals are an especially important anti-hunger tool for children. The budget proposal includes $3.8 million to ensure that copays are not an obstacle for eligible children to eat meals at school. This is good news for Arizona’s children.

Protecting Access to Health Care and Nutrition – Arizona’s Medicaid program, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), and our Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefit Arizonans of all ages and benefit our state’s economy. This budget prevents cuts to these programs and recognizes that Arizona has already implemented safeguards in the eligibility process and avoids adding new red tape and costly administrative burdens. This budget preserves strong health and nutrition services, which is a smart policy for Arizona.  

Funding K-12 Schools – The vast majority of children in Arizona attend public K-12 schools, and our budget process should prioritize funding schools as required by the state Constitution. While Arizona still lags behind much of the nation in funding public schools for students, this budget proposal funds key provisions that are critical to quality schools, including poverty-weighted/opportunity funding for schools in communities with a high level of families with low incomes, and additional district assistance.

Supporting Youth Impacted by Foster Care and Kinship Caregivers – As youth transition to adulthood, supports that help them build economic stability are crucial, especially for youth who experienced foster care. This budget proposal solidifies $6.4 million in ongoing funding for young adults through Extended Foster Care services, promoting stable housing, career and educational advancement, and overall well-being. CAA also continues to seek greater support for kinship caregiver providers, including restoration of stipends for relative caregivers who are raising children outside of the foster care system.

Arizona’s state budget should be about making Arizona stronger for its children and families. These budget proposals are important steps in the right direction.