In 2012, we began discussions with Arizona’s child welfare, education, and philanthropic leaders about the possibility of establishing a county-level pilot program in the state, with the long-term goal of potentially expanding the program to a statewide level. In early 2013, we hired an Arizona Director and began planning this pilot, working closely with leadership in child welfare, education, and judicial agencies to establish the infrastructure necessary for the project, map out referral processes, and define the scope of student-level work. We hired a team of education liaisons and began accepting a small number of student referrals in late 2013, and officially launched the demonstration site in Pima County – home to more than 3,000 children in foster care – in early 2014.

As of early 2017, the pilot program has served approximately 463 youth.