DES Child Care Assistance covers children from birth through age 12 for families at or below 165% of the federal poverty level who are working, in school or in another eligible activity. Benefits go straight to the provider and the family pays a co-pay. Apply through the A-to-Z Arizona portal. Be ready for a wait: DES listed 9,152 families and 15,130 children on its waiting list on October 9, 2026.
First Things First funds Quality First scholarships for children from birth to age 5 at enrolled programs, for low-income families who are working, looking for work or in training. The participating programs hand out these scholarships first-come, first-served, so call several Tucson centers rather than waiting on one. The Quality First search tool lists which programs participate.
In southern Arizona, Child-Parent Centers runs Head Start and Early Head Start in centers, in homes and through family child care providers. Head Start is free for eligible families, and most programs are part-day, so working parents often pair it with DES help for the remaining hours.
Several church preschools in our directory, such as those along Magee Road and in Tanque Verde, also continue through kindergarten. That matters because the universal ESA starts at K, so a family can stay at the same campus and switch funding sources when the child turns five by January 1.
16 preschool and kindergarten programs
Combining it with other sources
In Tucson the main decision is ESA or STO for each child each year; the two can't be combined for the same student. A school's own discounts, such as parish, member or sibling rates, lower the bill and can usually sit alongside either path.