Arizona's younger citizens might not be thinking about their future yet, but a team in northern Arizona is already collaborating on ways to help ensure their eventual success.

Thanks to a $165,000 grant from the Helios Education Foundation, a shared effort is under way to develop a model for early childhood developmental programs that put youth on the right track for academic success. The programs will target children from the time they are born until they are 8 years old.

Led by the United Way of Northern Arizona, partners include Northern Arizona University, the Alliance for Children's Early Success, Flagstaff Unified School District and the Northern Arizona Council of Governments Head Start.

"With the cooperation of our community groups and the generous support of the Helios Foundation, we expect to see great opportunities for childhood development research, curriculum development and professional development," said Daniel Kain, dean of NAU's College of Education. "These opportunities will spread well beyond Flagstaff and improve the lives of many of Arizona's younger citizens."

The Helios grant also will help the group research best practices for early childhood education and encourage their use throughout Arizona. In addition, it will provide professional development for emerging and current early-education practitioners, educators and leaders.

A longer-term goal is to create a dynamic early-learning care and development center.

The Helios Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization serving Arizona and Florida with an endowment exceeding $600 million. It is dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals by creating opportunities for success in postsecondary education.