NEEDS AND ASSETS REPORT (2024)
Tribal code
Ask Donna
What actually matters in this document.
Text
2024
NEEDS AND ASSETS REPORT
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
PASCUA YAQUI TRIBE
REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP COUNCIL
2024
NEEDS AND ASSETS
REPORT
Funded by the
First Things First Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council
Prepared by
Community Research, Evaluation & Development (CRED)
John & Doris Norton School of Human Ecology
College of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences
The University of Arizona
PO Box 210078
Tucson, AZ 85721-0462
Phone: (520) 621-2983
https://norton.arizona.edu/cred
© 2024 Arizona Early Childhood Development and Health Board (First Things First) 4000 N. Central Ave., Ste. 500, Phoenix, AZ 85012 |
602.771.5100 Permission to copy, disseminate or otherwise use the information in this publication is granted, as long as appropriate
acknowledgement is given.
INTRODUCTION
Ninety percent of a child's brain growth occurs before kindergarten and the quality of a child’s early
experiences impacts whether their brain will develop in positive ways that promote learning. First
Things First (FTF) was created by Arizonans to help ensure that Arizona children have the opportunity
to start kindergarten prepared to be successful. Understanding the critical role the early years play in a
child’s future success is crucial to our ability to foster each child’s optimal development and in turn,
impact all aspects of well-being in our communities and our state.
This Needs and Assets Report for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region helps us in understanding the needs of
young children, the resources available to meet those needs and gaps that may exist in those resources.
An overview of this information is provided in the Executive Summary and documented in further detail
in the full report.
The report is organized by topic areas pertinent to young children in the region, such as population
characteristics or educational indicators. Within each topic area are sections that set the context for why
the data found in the topic areas are important (Why it Matters), followed by a section that includes
available data on the topic (What the Data Tell Us).
The FTF Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council recognizes the importance of investing in
young children and ensuring that families and caregivers have options when it comes to supporting the
healthy development and education of young children in their care. It is our sincere hope that this
information will help guide community conversations about how we can best support school readiness
for all children in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region. To that end, this information may be useful to local
stakeholders as they work to enhance the resources available to young children and their families and as
they make decisions about how best to support children birth to age 5 in communities throughout the
region.
2
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The FTF Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council wishes to thank all of the federal, state and
local partners whose contributions of data, ongoing support and partnership with FTF made this report
possible. These partners included the Arizona Departments of Administration (Employment and
Population Statistics), Child Safety, Economic Security, Education and Health Services; Child Care
Resource and Referral; and the U.S. Census Bureau. We are especially grateful for the spirit of
collaboration exhibited by all our partners as we, as a state, continue to recover from the COVID-19
pandemic.
We also want to thank parents and caregivers, local service providers and members of the public who
attended regional council meetings and voiced their opinions, as well as all the organizations working to
transform the vision of the regional council into concrete programs and services for children and
families in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region.
Lastly, we want to acknowledge the current and past members of the FTF Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional
Partnership Council whose vision, dedication and passion have been instrumental in improving
outcomes for young children and families within the region. As we build upon those successes, we move
ever closer to our ultimate goal of creating a comprehensive early childhood system that ensures
children throughout Arizona are ready for school and set for life.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ......................................................................................................... 10
ABOUT THIS REPORT ........................................................................................................... 24
THE PASCUA YAQUI TRIBE REGION ................................................................................... 26
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS ....................................................................................... 28
Why It Matters ...................................................................................................................................................... 29
2020 Census data and its limitations................................................................................................................................... 29
What the Data Tell Us .......................................................................................................................................... 30
Population, race and ethnicity ............................................................................................................................................. 30
Language use ..................................................................................................................................................................... 37
Family and household composition ..................................................................................................................................... 42
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES ............................................................................................. 46
Why it Matters ...................................................................................................................................................... 47
What the Data Tell Us .......................................................................................................................................... 47
Income and poverty............................................................................................................................................................. 47
Food security....................................................................................................................................................................... 52
Employment ........................................................................................................................................................................ 57
Housing instability and internet access ............................................................................................................................... 60
EDUCATIONAL INDICATORS ................................................................................................ 65
Why it Matters ...................................................................................................................................................... 66
What the Data Tell Us .......................................................................................................................................... 66
School attendance and absenteeism .................................................................................................................................. 66
Achievement on standardized testing ................................................................................................................................. 69
Graduation rates and adult educational attainment ............................................................................................................. 73
EARLY LEARNING ................................................................................................................. 77
Why it Matters ...................................................................................................................................................... 78
What the Data Tell Us .......................................................................................................................................... 78
Access to early care and education .................................................................................................................................... 78
High quality early care and education ................................................................................................................................. 87
Young children with special needs ...................................................................................................................................... 89
CHILD HEALTH....................................................................................................................... 97
Why it Matters ...................................................................................................................................................... 98
What the Data Tell Us .......................................................................................................................................... 98
Access to health services .................................................................................................................................................... 98
Maternal age and substance abuse .................................................................................................................................. 103
Maternal health and well-being ......................................................................................................................................... 105
Infant health ...................................................................................................................................................................... 107
Childhood infectious disease and immunization................................................................................................................ 110
Infant and child hospitalization and mortality ..................................................................................................................... 113
FAMILY SUPPORT AND LITERACY .................................................................................... 116
Why it Matters .................................................................................................................................................... 117
What the Data Tell Us ........................................................................................................................................ 117
Early literacy and developmental support ......................................................................................................................... 117
Mental and behavioral health ............................................................................................................................................ 118
Substance use disorders................................................................................................................................................... 119
Child removals and foster care.......................................................................................................................................... 121
APPENDIX 1: ADDITIONAL DATA TABLES ......................................................................... 125
4
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Population Characteristics ................................................................................................................................. 125
Economic Circumstances ................................................................................................................................... 129
Early Learning .................................................................................................................................................... 133
Child Health ........................................................................................................................................................ 138
APPENDIX 2: METHODS AND DATA SOURCES ................................................................ 139
APPENDIX 3: ZIP CODES OF THE PASCUA YAQUI TRIBE REGION ................................ 141
APPENDIX 4: SCHOOL DISTRICTS OF THE PASCUA YAQUI TRIBE REGION ................ 143
APPENDIX 5: DATA SOURCES ........................................................................................... 145
REFERENCES ...................................................................................................................... 147
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. The First Things First Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region .................................................................................. 27
Figure 2. Change in the total population and population of children ages 0-5, 2010 to 2020 Census ................... 32
Figure 3. Pascua Yaqui Tribe On-Reservation Enrollment, 2019 to 2020 .............................................................. 34
Figure 4. Children by single year of age in the 2020 Census compared to recent birth numbers in the region (2015
to 2020) .................................................................................................................................................................... 35
Figure 5. Race and ethnicity of the population of all ages, 2020 Census ............................................................... 36
Figure 6. Race and ethnicity for children birth to age 4, 2020 Census ................................................................... 36
Figure 7. Language spoken at home (by persons ages 5 and older), 2017-2021 ACS .......................................... 39
Figure 8. English-language proficiency (for persons ages 5 and older), 2017-2021 ACS ...................................... 40
Figure 9. Share of households that are limited-English-speaking, 2017-2021 ACS ............................................... 40
Figure 10. Language use reported by respondents to the Pascua Yaqui Community Survey, 2020 ..................... 42
Figure 11. Grandchildren birth to age 5 living in a grandparent’s household, 2020 Census .................................. 44
Figure 12. Percent of grandparents living with their grandchildren birth to age 17 and no parent is present in the
household, 2017-2021 ACS .................................................................................................................................... 45
Figure 13. Median family income for families with children birth to age 17, 2017-2021 ACS ................................. 49
Figure 14. Rates of poverty for persons of all ages and for children birth to age 5, 2017-2021 ACS ..................... 50
Figure 15. Rates of poverty for children birth to age 5, 2012-2016 and 2017-2021 ACS ....................................... 50
Figure 16. Children birth to age 5 living at selected poverty thresholds, 2017-2021 ACS ...................................... 51
Figure 17. Number of children birth to age 5 and households with children birth to age 5 participating in TANF,
state fiscal years 2018 to 2022 ................................................................................................................................ 51
Figure 18. Number of children birth to age 5 and households with children birth to age 5 participating in SNAP,
state fiscal years 2018 to 2022 ................................................................................................................................ 54
Figure 19. Number of children birth to age 4 enrolled in WIC, 2017 to 2020 .......................................................... 55
Figure 20. Participation rates in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe WIC program, 2020........................................................ 56
Figure 21. Trends in lunches served through school nutrition programs, 2019-20 to 2021-22............................... 56
Figure 22. Unemployment and labor-force participation for the adult population (ages 16 and older), 2017-2021
ACS.......................................................................................................................................................................... 58
Figure 23. Average annual unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted), 2017 to 2022 .................................... 59
Figure 24. Parents of children birth to age 5 who are or are not in the labor force, 2017-2021 ACS ..................... 60
Figure 25. Persons of all ages in households with and without computers and internet connectivity, 2017-2021
ACS.......................................................................................................................................................................... 64
Figure 26. Children birth to age 17 in households with and without computers and internet connectivity, 20172021 ACS ................................................................................................................................................................ 64
Figure 27. Trends in passing rates for Third Grade English Language Arts assessments for American Indian
students, 2018-19 to 2021-22 .................................................................................................................................. 72
Figure 28. Trends in passing rates for Third Grade Math for American Indian students, 2018-19 to 2021-22....... 73
Figure 29. Level of education for the adult population (ages 25 and older), 2017-2021 ACS ................................ 76
Figure 30. Median monthly charge for full-time child care, 2022 ............................................................................ 84
Figure 31. Cost of center-based child care as a percentage of income, 2022 ........................................................ 85
Figure 32. Children ages 0-5 eligible for, receiving, and on waitlist for DES child care assistance, 2017 to 2022 86
Figure 33. DCS-involved children ages 0-5 eligible for, receiving, and on waitlist for DES child care assistance,
2017 to 2022 ............................................................................................................................................................ 87
Figure 34. Percent of child care providers with accreditation and percent of capacity in accredited providers, May
2023 ......................................................................................................................................................................... 89
Figure 35. Children birth to age 2 referred to AzEIP by referral source, federal fiscal years 2018 to 2022 ............ 93
6
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Figure 36. Outcomes for children birth to age 2 referred to AzEIP, federal fiscal year 2022 .................................. 94
Figure 37. Trends in preschoolers with disabilities served by LEAs, state fiscal years 2018 to 2022 .................... 95
Figure 38. Preschoolers with disabilities receiving services through Local Education Agencies (LEAs) by type of
disability, state fiscal years 2018-2022 combined ................................................................................................... 95
Figure 39. Kindergarten to 3rd grade students enrolled in special education in public and charter schools by
primary disability, state fiscal years 2018- 2022 combined ..................................................................................... 96
Figure 40. Active members in Yoeme Health Plan, 2018 to 2020 ........................................................................ 100
Figure 41. Births paid for by AHCCCS or IHS, 2018 to 2022 ................................................................................ 101
Figure 42. Births to mothers who began prenatal care in the first trimester, 2018 to 2022 .................................. 102
Figure 43. Births to mothers who were younger than 20, 2018 to 2022 ............................................................... 105
Figure 44. Births to mothers diagnosed with pre-pregnancy obesity or gestational diabetes, 2018 to 2022........ 107
Figure 45. Preterm births, 2018 to 2022 ................................................................................................................ 109
Figure 46. Percent of WIC-enrolled infants ever breastfed and breastfed at 6 months, 2017 to 2020 ................. 110
Figure 47. Infant mortality rates, 2019 to 2021 combined ..................................................................................... 114
Figure 48. Non-fatal emergency department visits due to unintentional injuries for children birth to age 4 by
selected mechanism of injury, 2016-2020 combined ............................................................................................ 115
Figure 49. Types of placement for children birth to age 17 who were wards of the court, 2019 and 2020 .......... 124
Figure 50. Zip Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region ............................................. 141
Figure 51. School Districts in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region .............................................................................. 143
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Population and households in the 2020 U.S. Census ............................................................................... 31
Table 2. Change in the total population and population of children ages 0-5, 2010 to 2020 Census ..................... 32
Table 3. Pascua Yaqui Tribe Enrollment, 2019 to 2020 .......................................................................................... 33
Table 4. Number of English Language Learners enrolled in all grades, 2020-21 to 2021-22................................. 41
Table 5. ADE Primary home language survey data, 2020-21 to 2021-22............................................................... 42
Table 6. Living arrangements for children birth to age 5, 2017-2021 ACS ............................................................. 44
Table 7. Selected characteristics of grandparents who are responsible for one or more grandchildren under 18 in
their households, 2017-2021 ACS........................................................................................................................... 45
Table 8. Families with children birth to age 5 receiving TANF, state fiscal years 2018 to 2022 ............................. 52
Table 9. Children birth to age 5 receiving TANF, state fiscal years 2018 to 2022 .................................................. 52
Table 10. Enrollment in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe WIC program, 2020 .................................................................... 55
Table 11. Lunches served through CACFP, 2019-20 to 2021-22 ........................................................................... 57
Table 12. Unemployment and labor-force participation for the adult population (ages 16 and older), 2017-2021
ACS.......................................................................................................................................................................... 59
Table 13. Households with housing costs of 30% or more of household income by home ownership status, 20172021 ACS ................................................................................................................................................................ 62
Table 14. Students experiencing homelessness (McKinney-Vento), 2019-20 to 2021-22 ..................................... 63
Table 15. Households with a computer and broadband internet connectivity, 2017-2021 ACS ............................. 63
Table 16. Pascua Yaqui Tribe students enrolled in Tucson area public schools, 2018-29 to 2019-20 .................. 68
Table 17. American Indian Preschool to 3rd grade students enrolled in public and charter schools, 2021-22 ...... 69
Table 18. Kindergarten to 3rd grade students with chronic absences, 2019-20 to 2021-22................................... 69
Table 19. Assessment results for American Indian students: Third Grade English Language Arts, 2021-22 ........ 71
Table 20. Assessment results for American Indian students: Third Grade Math, 2021-22..................................... 72
Table 21. 4-year and 5-year graduation rates for American Indian students, 2022 ................................................ 75
Table 22. 7th to 12th grade dropout rates for American Indian students, 2019-20 to 2021-22 .............................. 75
Table 23. Level of education for the mothers of babies born in 2020 and 2021 ..................................................... 76
Table 24. Children participating in Ili Uusim Mahtawa’apo Pascua Yaqui Head Start, federal fiscal year 2023 .... 81
Table 25. Pascua Yaqui Tribe Child Care Program Indicators, 2019 to 2020 ........................................................ 82
Table 26. Number of children birth to age 6 who received a child care assistance from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Child Care Development Fund, 2019 to 2020 ......................................................................................................... 82
Table 27. Child care centers most often used by families receiving assistance from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Child
Care Program, 2019 to 2020 ................................................................................................................................... 83
Table 28. Number and Capacity of Early Care & Education Providers active in the National Data System for Child
Care, May 2023 ....................................................................................................................................................... 83
Table 29. Increase in median child care cost by provider type and child age, 2018 to 2022 .................................. 85
Table 30. Quality First child care providers by funding source, state fiscal year 2023 ........................................... 89
Table 31. Number of children (ages 0-2) receiving AzEIP and/or DDD services, state fiscal years 2019 to 2022. 92
Table 32. Preschool to 3rd grade students enrolled in special education, state fiscal years 2022 ......................... 94
Table 33. Insurance coverage for babies born in 2020 and 2021 ......................................................................... 101
Table 34. Prenatal care for the mothers of babies born in 2020 and 2021 ........................................................... 102
Table 35. Selected characteristics of mothers giving birth, 2020 to 2021 ............................................................. 104
Table 36. Newborns hospitalized because of maternal drug use during pregnancy, 2018-2022 combined ........ 105
Table 37. Selected birth outcomes, 2020 to 2021 ................................................................................................. 109
Table 38. Children in child care with selected required immunizations, 2022-23 ................................................. 112
Table 39. Kindergarteners with selected required immunizations, 2022-23 ......................................................... 112
8
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Table 40. Confirmed and probable cases of infectious diseases in children birth to age 5, 2019 to 2022 ........... 113
Table 41. Number of deaths with opiates or opioids contributing, 2018-2021 combined ..................................... 120
Table 42. Pascua Yaqui Tribe Social Services Division reports and substantiated cases of child abuse and/or
neglect, 2019 and 2020 ......................................................................................................................................... 123
Table 43. Children removed by Pascua Yaqui Tribe Social Services Division, Children Services, 2019 and 2020
............................................................................................................................................................................... 123
Table 44. Children in ICWA placements, 2019 and 2020 ..................................................................................... 123
Table 45. Foster care availability, 2019 and 2020................................................................................................. 124
Table 46. Population of children birth to age 5 by single years of age in the 2020 Census ................................. 125
Table 47. Race and ethnicity of the population of all ages, 2020 Census ............................................................ 125
Table 48. Race and ethnicity of children birth to age 4 ......................................................................................... 126
Table 49. Race and ethnicity for the mothers of babies born in 2020 and 2021 ................................................... 126
Table 50. Children birth to age 5 living with parents who are foreign-born, 2017-2021 ACS ............................... 127
Table 51. Language spoken at home (by persons ages 5 and older), 2017-2021 ACS ....................................... 127
Table 52. English-language proficiency (for persons ages 5 and older), 2017-2021 ACS ................................... 128
Table 53. Limited-English-speaking households, 2017-2021 ACS ....................................................................... 128
Table 54. Grandchildren birth to age 5 living in a grandparent's household, 2020 Census .................................. 128
Table 55. Median annual family income, 2017-2021 ACS .................................................................................... 129
Table 56. Children birth to age 5 living at selected poverty thresholds, 2017-2021 ACS ..................................... 129
Table 57. Families participating in SNAP, state fiscal years 2018 to 2022 ........................................................... 130
Table 58. Children participating in SNAP, state fiscal years 2018 to 2022 ........................................................... 130
Table 59. Lunches served through NSLP, 2019-20 to 2021-22 ............................................................................ 130
Table 60. Lunches served through SFSP, 2019-20 to 2021-22 ............................................................................ 131
Table 61. Parents of children birth to age 5 who are or are not in the labor force, 2017-2021 ACS .................... 131
Table 62. Persons of all ages in households with and without computers and internet connectivity, 2017-2021
ACS........................................................................................................................................................................ 132
Table 63. Children birth to age 17 in households with and without computers and internet connectivity, 2017-2021
............................................................................................................................................................................... 132
Table 64. School enrollment for children ages 3 to 4, 2017-2021 ACS ................................................................ 133
Table 65. Children receiving DES child care assistance, 2017 to 2022 ................................................................ 133
Table 66. DCS-involved children receiving DES child care assistance, 2017 to 2022 ......................................... 133
Table 67. Eligible families not using DES child care assistance, 2017 to 2022 .................................................... 134
Table 68. Median monthly charge for full-time center-based child care, 2022...................................................... 134
Table 69. Median monthly charge for full-time home-based child care, 2022....................................................... 134
Table 70. Cost of center-based child care as a percentage of income, 2022 ....................................................... 135
Table 71. Children receiving DES child care assistance who are enrolled in quality environments, 2022 ........... 135
Table 72. Number of children birth to age 2 receiving services from AzEIP as of October 1, 2018 to 2022 ........ 135
Table 73. Number of children (birth to age 5) receiving DDD services, state fiscal years 2019 to 2022 .............. 136
Table 74. Preschoolers with disabilities receiving services through Local Education Agencies by type of disability,
state fiscal years 2018- 2022 combined ................................................................................................................ 136
Table 75. Kindergarten to 3rd grade students enrolled in special education in public and charter schools, state
fiscal years 2018 to 2022 ....................................................................................................................................... 137
Table 76. Kindergarten to 3rd grade students enrolled in special education in public and charter schools by
primary disability, state fiscal year 2022 ................................................................................................................ 137
Table 77. Births to mothers with gestational diabetes or pre-pregnancy obesity, 2020 to 2021 .......................... 138
Table 78. Non-fatal hospitalizations and emergency department visits due to unintentional injuries for children
birth to age 5, 2018-2022 combined ...................................................................................................................... 138
Table 79. Zip Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region .............................................. 142
Table 80. School Districts and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region ................. 144
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 9
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region. When First Things First was established by the passage of Proposition
203 in November 2006, the government-to-government relationship with federally-recognized tribes
was acknowledged. Each tribe with tribal lands located in Arizona was given the opportunity to
participate within a First Things First designated region or elect to be designated as a separate region.
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe was one of 10 tribes that chose to be designated as its own region. This decision
must be ratified every two years, and since then, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe has opted to continue to be
designated as its own region. The boundaries of the First Things First Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional
Partnership Council are those of the Pascua Pueblo Yaqui Reservation in Pima County. The region
covers approximately 2.2 square miles.
Population Characteristics. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the total population of the Pascua
Yaqui Tribe Region was 3,466, of whom 336 were young children (birth to age 5). About one-quarter
(26%) of the 865 households in the region had one or more young children. The proportion of
households with young children in the region (26%) was both higher than all Arizona reservations
combined (20%) and at least double the proportion in Pima County (11%) and Arizona (13%).
According to the Census, the overall population of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region did not change
substantially between 2010 and 2020 (-0.3%). This is smaller than the decrease seen across all Arizona
reservations (-3%). However, the population of young children (birth to age 5) decreased by -29%,
which is a larger decrease than the -26% seen across all Arizona reservations.
American Indians living on reservations and young children (birth to age 4) were found to be
substantially undercounted in the 2020 Census (5.6% and 3-5% nationally). Given this, tribal enrollment
data is another important source for population counts in Native communities. Based on data from the
Pascua Yaqui Tribal Enrollment Department, in 2020 the Pascua Yaqui Tribe had a total enrollment of
18,582. This included 3,981 individuals living on-reservation, of whom 154 were young children (birth
to age 5). Another way to understand potential undercounting of young children in the Pascua Yaqui
Tribe Region is to compare 2020 Census data on the young child population to Arizona Department of
Health Services (ADHS) data on births from 2015 to 2020. Census estimates are lower by about 11
children per year compared with the count of births. ADHS reports 402 births occurring between 2015
and 2020 compared to 336 children birth to age 5 enumerated by the Census.
Almost all of the population (90%) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region identified as American Indian.
However almost one-quarter (24%) identified as Hispanic or Latino, which is higher than across all
Arizona reservations (6% of the total population). Smaller portions of the total population in the region
identified as Multiracial (8%), Non-Hispanic White (2%), Black or African American (1%) or Asian or
Pacific Islander (1%) in 2020. These breakdowns were similar for young children, with slightly higher
portions identified as American Indian (91%), Hispanic or Latino (28%), Multiracial (12%), and Black
or African American (3%), when compared to the overall population.
10
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
While about two-thirds (64%) of individuals in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region speak only English at
home, 31% speak Spanish at home, a much higher proportion than seen across all Arizona reservations
(3%) and Pima County (23%). The remaining 5% speak a language other than English or Spanish (most
likely a Native North American language) at home, which is similar to Pima County (5%) and the state
as a whole (6%) but much lower than all Arizona reservations combined (50%). Of those individuals
speaking a language other than English at home, the majority also speak English “very well,” with onethird of the region proficiently bilingual or multilingual (33%). About 4% of households in the Pascua
Yaqui Tribe Region are considered limited-English-speaking, meaning no one over the age of 13 in the
household speaks English very well. This is a smaller proportion than seen across all Arizona
reservations (12%), however there is still some need for bilingual or multilingual staff and resources to
support families whose first language is not English, especially given the high percentage of individuals
speaking Spanish at home.
Children living in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region attend a number of schools located outside of the
region. During the 2021-22 school year, about one in every 10 preschool to 12th grade students (10%) at
these schools were considered English Language Learners. Please note that this proportion includes
students who are not living in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region. English Language Learners are identified
through the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) Home Language Survey, which asks families
about the student’s first language and what language is spoken at home most of the time. Statewide,
there were 27 students with reported Yaqui language use at home in 2020-21, decreasing to 23 students
in 2021-22. Fewer than 11 of these students attended off-reservation schools that serve Pascua Yaqui
Tribe Region students. This could be due to Pascua Yaqui Tribe members living outside of the region,
such as in the Town of Guadalupe and Old Pascua.
The Gathering Hiaki Voices Survey, part of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Community Health Needs
Assessment in 2020, gathered information from 307 community member respondents living in Pima
County about their language use and ability. The survey indicated that almost all participants were able
to read, write, speak or understand English (99%) and used it weekly or daily (100%). Almost all
participants also indicated the ability to read, write, speak or understand Spanish (94%), and over half
used Spanish weekly or daily (57%). While four in 10 reported reading, writing, speaking or
understanding the Yoeme language (40%), only one in 10 reported using it on a weekly or daily basis
(11%). The Pascua Yaqui Tribe Education Department provides language classes to community
members interested in learning the Yoeme language, which were formerly offered by the Language and
Culture Department. According to the 2022 FTF Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Needs and Assets Report,
there were 289 people registered for classes in the Language Program, and 112 registered in the
Traditional Arts Program in the 2018-19 school year. This high level of interest in the Yoeme language
is a strength in the region. Additionally, through two new grant agreements with the Pascua Yaqui
Tribe, the First Things First Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council partner with the tribal
government to implement the Language, Literacy and Culture in Tribal Communities strategy that
support the creation of materials to be used in the classrooms that will be implementing a curriculum
with emphasis in Yoeme language, history, and culture. Furthermore, this strategy also funds a position
that creates and distributes materials in partnerships with tribal departments and programs that are
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 11
reflective of the tribal language and culture including books, posters and informational flyers that are
shared during community events.
The majority of young children (birth to age 5) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region live in a household
with one unmarried parent (75%), which is a larger proportion than across all Arizona reservations
(65%), Pima County (37%) and the state (37%). More than one in seven (15%) young children live with
non-relatives, while smaller shares live with relatives other than parents (such as grandparents, aunts and
uncles) (6%) or two married parents (4%). Almost half of young children (47%) in the region live in a
grandparent’s household, which is higher than across all Arizona reservations (43%). In contrast, 14% of
grandparents in the region are living with grandchildren (birth to age 17) without a parent also present in
the household, which is the same as across Arizona reservations combined. This indicates that most
children living with grandparents are in multigenerational households with parent(s) present, where
grandparents may or may not be responsible for raising the child.
The American Community Survey (ACS) considers a grandparent to be responsible for their
grandchildren if they are "currently responsible for most of the basic needs of any grandchildren under
the age of 18" who live in the grandparent's household. Based on this definition, an estimated 185
grandparents in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region are responsible for their grandchildren under 18 years
old. A parent is also present in most of these households (only 22% without the child’s parent). The
majority of these grandparents are female (65%), and 37% are in the labor force, meaning that they may
need child care for their grandchildren while they are working. Notably, only 16% have an income
below the poverty level, which is less than half the percent across all Arizona reservations (36%) and
lower than Pima County (21%).
Economic Circumstances. Across all household types for which data are available, the median family
income for all families with children (birth to age 17) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region ($32,200) is less
than half that in the county ($69,000) and state levels ($75,100). Married couple families with children
in the region have the highest median annual income ($44,800) of all family types, which is less than
half of that seen statewide ($100,000). The notably lower median annual income of single-male-headed
families with children ($30,600) and single-female-headed families with children ($22,000) in the region
points to the additional financial stress experienced by the single-parent-led households in the region.
Almost one-third (31%) of the overall population and more than half (53%) of young children (birth to
age 5) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region live in poverty, which is more than twice the poverty rates for
Pima County (15% and 22%, respectively) and Arizona as a whole (13% and 20%, respectively).
According to ACS five-year estimates, rates of poverty among young children in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Region have decreased slightly (-2%) in recent years, from 55% in 2012-2016 to 53% in 2017-2021.
Poverty rates declined much more across all Arizona reservations (-6%), Pima County (-8%), Arizona (8%) and the U.S. (-6%) during the same time period. Reductions in poverty may be attributable, at least
in part, to federal relief funds distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The majority (72%) of young children in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region live in households with
incomes under 185% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), a commonly used threshold for social safety
12
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
net benefits such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children
(WIC) and reduced-price school meals. In 2021, the 185% FPL threshold for a family of two adults and
two children was $50,836; for a single parent with one child, it was $34,552. Over half (53%) of young
children live below 100% FPL, which is a slightly larger portion than in all Arizona reservations (49%)
and a much larger portion than Pima County (22%). However, the proportion of young children in the
region that live in “deep poverty” (defined as below 50% FPL) is closer to Pima County (11%) and the
state as a whole (9%) than all Arizona reservations (27%). Though income is one important way to
measure whether families can meet their basic needs, in Native communities, subsistence-based
activities such as hunting, gathering, farming and ranching are important cultural practices that can also
meet families’ basic needs and are not captured in standard poverty measures. While the Pascua Yaqui
Tribe reservation is located in an urban area, there are some families that have home gardens, and the
Tribe has a ranch with horses and a garden with programming for youth and other community members.
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe is one of six Arizona tribes that operate a Tribal Temporary Assistance for
Needy Families (TANF) program (PY-YOEME). In state fiscal year 2022 (SFY 2022), an estimated
19% of families with young children (birth to age 5) and the same proportion of young children in the
region (19%) participated in TANF. These participation rates are notably higher than those seen at the
county (both 5%) and state level (both 3%). The number of families participating fluctuated from a high
of 64 families and 99 children in SFY 2019 to a low of 43 families and 65 children in SFY 2022. Since
SFY 2018, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation among young children
(birth to age 5) and families with young children in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region has declined steadily
from 374 in SFY 2018 to 245 in SFY 2022.
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe WIC program is administered by the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA).
According to the 2022 Needs and Assets Report, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe WIC program serves both
tribal and non-tribal members in Pima County, and key informants estimated that about half the
participants in the program were members or relatives of members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. In 2020, a
total of 963 individuals were enrolled in the program, including 232 women (24% of WIC participants),
271 infants (28%) and 460 children (ages 2-4; 48%). WIC participation rates were higher in the Pascua
Yaqui Tribe WIC program than across all ITCA WIC programs for all eligible groups, meaning that the
percent of women (97%), infants (97%) and children (93%) who were actively receiving benefits during
the calendar year were slightly higher in the region. From 2017 to 2020, the total number of children
birth to age 4 enrolled in WIC declined steadily in both the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region and Arizona.
From 2019-20 to 2021-22, the total number of school lunches served through school nutrition programs
in the region stayed relatively stable (20,659 and 20,430, respectively), even while fluctuating by
program and service location. Hiaki High School served lunches through the National School Lunch
Program (NSLP) in 2019-20 and 2021-22. The Pascua Yaqui Boys & Girls Clubhouse served lunches
through the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) in 2019-20 and both NSLP and SFSP in 2020-21
and 2021-22. Pascua Yaqui Head Start (Ili Uusim Mahtawa’apo) served lunches through the Child and
Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) in all three years and also served lunches through SFSP at both the
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 13
Head Start center and through a home delivery route in 2019-20. Lunches served through CACFP
declined from 12,229 in 2019-20 to 9,056 in 2021-22. Conversely, lunches served through NSLP and
SFSP increased (by 1267 and 1,677, respectively). The increase in meals served through SFSP was
likely due to USDA waivers that allowed for greater flexibility in meal service through SFSP yearround.
The unemployment rate is the proportion of the total number of people in the civilian labor force who
are unemployed and looking for work. Unemployment rates do not include people who have dropped
out of the labor force entirely, including those who wanted to work but could not find a suitable job and
have stopped looking for employment. The ACS estimates that the average unemployment rate for the
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region between 2017 to 2022 was 8%. This is higher than the unemployment rate
for Pima County and Arizona as a whole (both 6%) but substantially lower than all Arizona reservations
(14%), a comparative strength for the region.
An additional metric of employment is the labor-force participation rate. This rate is the fraction of the
population who are in the labor force, whether employed or unemployed. The labor force participation
rate in the region (58%) is higher than that seen across all Arizona reservations (45%) and similar to
Pima County (59%). This means that just over half of working-age teens and adults in the Pascua Yaqui
Tribe Region are working (54%) or actively looking for work (4%), while the remaining 42% are not
(which includes students, retirees, stay-at-home parents and others). While unemployment rates showed
a steady decline statewide since the end of the Great Recession in 2009, this pattern changed in 2020
with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent years, unemployment rates for Pima County have
been aligned with the state overall, peaking at 7.6% in 2020 and decreasing to 3.8% in 2022. About
three-quarters (76%) of young children (birth to age 5) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region live in a
household where at least one parent is in the labor force, compared to 63% of young children across all
Arizona reservations and 90% of young children in Pima County. Most of these children (71%) live with
one parent who is in the workforce, indicating they likely require some form of child care.
Pascua Yaqui Tribe members often rent homes built by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Housing Department
until they are able to pay the full amount of the house. At that point, ownership of the house is
transferred to the family, while the land where the house is built remains part of tribal reservation land.
While the Housing Department has been building new developments, community members indicate that
housing availability is still a need in the region. Housing is considered to be affordable for families if it
costs less than 30% of annual household income. According to recent ACS estimates, just 19% of
households in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region spent more than 30% of their income on housing,
disproportionately impacting renters (22%) over homeowners (9%) in the region. Housing cost burden is
notably lower in the region compared to Pima County (31%) and the state (29%), but higher than across
all Arizona reservations (13%). The McKinney-Vento Act definition of homelessness includes children
living in shelters, transitional housing, campgrounds, motels, trailer parks and cars, as well as children
whose families are temporarily living within another family’s household. Data on the number of
students experiencing homelessness under the McKinney-Vento Act at Hiaki High School were
suppressed due to small numbers (i.e. fewer than 11). At off-reservation schools that serve children from
14
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region, the number of students experiencing homelessness more than tripled
from 74 in 2020-21 to 240 in 2021-22, but these students still made up less than 2% of the overall
students enrolled. According to data from Ili Uusim Mahtawa’apo Pascua Yaqui Head Start, 16% of
children enrolled in Program Year 2023 (PY23) qualified as homeless, an increase from the 13% in
PY20 reported in the 2022 Needs and Assets Report.
Almost three-quarters (72%) of households in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region have both a computer
(i.e., a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone) and broadband internet connectivity. While this proportion
is lower than Pima County (89%) and Arizona (88%), it is notably higher than seen across all Arizona
reservations (44%). At the individual level, 82% of individuals in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region,
including 88% of children (birth to age 17), have access to both a computer and internet in their
household. As with household-level access, this is a smaller proportion than Pima County (92% and
95%, respectively) and the state (90% and 92%, respectively), but much higher than across all Arizona
reservations (both 51%).The Pascua Yaqui Tribe has its own telecommunications network, Pascua
Yaqui Networks, and provides internet access to families living in the region.
Educational Indicators. The only school within the boundaries of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region is
Hiaki High School, meaning that there are no schools serving elementary and middle school students.
Children from the community attend a number of off-reservation schools, mostly within Tucson Unified
School District (TUSD). During the 2019-20 school year, 880 students from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Region attended TUSD schools, including 485 elementary students, 156 middle school students, and 239
high school students. The district school with the most students from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe was
Lawrence 3-8 School (173 students), followed by Johnson Primary (116 students) and Cholla High
School (110 students). Valencia Middle School had the largest middle school student enrollment from
the Pascua Yaqui Tribe (58 students). According to the 2022 Needs and Assets Report, the Pascua Yaqui
Tribe Education Department offers support services for students who are members of the Pascua Yaqui
Tribe and enrolled in a K-12 school through the Yaqui Education Services (YES) program.
In the 2021-22 school year, there were fewer than 11 American Indian students enrolled in preschools
that are known to serve Pascua Yaqui Tribe students. A total of 280 American Indian students were
enrolled in kindergarten through 3rd grade in off-reservation schools serving students from the region,
between 63 and 81 students in each grade. In 2020-21 and 2021-22, kindergarten through 3rd grade
chronic absence rates for off-reservation schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region students (28% and
29%, respectively) were slightly above the rates for Pima County schools (24% both years) and Arizona
schools (21% both years).
In the 2021-22 school year, only 16% of American Indian students at off-reservation schools serving
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region students achieved a passing score on the 3rd grade English Language Arts
(ELA) assessment, including 15% meeting expectations and less than 2% exceeding expectations. This
is equivalent to the passing scores for American Indian students across all Pima County schools and
Arizona schools (both 16%), but much lower than the passing scores for students of all races and
ethnicities in Arizona (41%). In off-reservation schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region students,
ELA passing rates for American Indian students doubled between 2020-21 and 2021-22, going from 8%
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 15
to 16%. Across the state ELA passing rates for American Indian students remain exceptionally low, less
than half that of students of all races and ethnicities.
A smaller proportion of American Indian students at off-reservation schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Region students passed the 3rd grade Math assessment in 2021-22, including 7% meeting expectations
and 3% exceeding expectations. This is lower than the passing rates for American Indian 3rd graders
across Pima County schools (13%) and Arizona schools (16%). Passing rates for the Math assessment
for American Indian students at off-reservation schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region students as
well as American Indian students in all Pima County schools have remained consistently lower than
passing rates for American Indian students statewide and for all students statewide. In both 2020-21 and
2021-22, fewer than 1 in 10 American Indian students enrolled in off-reservation schools serving Pascua
Yaqui Tribe Region students received a passing score on the 3rd grade Math assessment.
High school students from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region attend Hiaki High School and off-reservation
schools including Cholla High School (110 Pascua Yaqui Tribe students in 2019-20), Tucson High
Magnet School (69 students), Pueblo High School (40 students), and other TUSD high schools (20
students). The four-year graduation rate for Hiaki High School (41%) is lower than for American Indian
students attending off-region schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region students (65%), which
matches the four-year graduation rates for American Indian students across Arizona (65%). The fiveyear graduation rate was not available for off-reservation schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
students, however the rate for Hiaki High School (65%) was between the rate for American Indian
students in Pima County schools (60%) and in Arizona schools (72%). In 2020-21 and 2021-22, the 7th12th grade dropout rate (8%) was the same for Hiaki High School and for American Indian students in
off-reservation schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region students. This is within the same range as
American Indian students across Pima County, which rose from 6% to 10% between 2019-20 and 202122, and Arizona, which ranged between 5% and 9% in those same years.
Among adults in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region, 73% have at least a high school education. This is a
slightly smaller proportion than across all Arizona reservations (77%) and much smaller compared to the
county (87%), state (88%) and national levels (89%). While educational attainment looks similar
between the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region and all Arizona reservations, only 4% of adults in the region
have a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 9% of adults across all Arizona reservations. Compared
with all adults, mothers giving birth in 2020 and 2021 in the region were more likely to have less than a
high school education (33% and 31% respectively, compared with 23% of all adults).
Early Learning. According to the 2022 Needs and Assets Report, early childhood care and education
services in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region are available through the Ili Uusim Mahtawa’apo Pascua
Yaqui Tribe Head Start program, home providers who are certified by the tribe and off-reservation child
care centers. The Pascua Yaqui Tribe, First Things First Regional Partnership Council, and other
community partners are currently developing the first tribal child care center on the reservation, which
16
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
will use a Pascua Yaqui Curriculum that emphasizes the Yoeme language, history, and culture. The
center is estimated to serve between 120-143 children birth to age 7.
In May 2023, there were 40 early care and education providers active in the National Data System for
Child Care that were operating within a 5-mile radius of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region, an area which
is shared with the Pima South and Tohono O’odham Nation First Things First Regions. These providers
had a combined capacity of 1,031 children, which includes 823 slots across 11 child care centers and
208 slots across 29 family child care providers.
In 2023, the Ili Uusim Mahtawa’apo Pascua Yaqui Tribe Head Start program enrolled 53 four-year-olds
and 15 three-year-olds for a total of 68 enrolled children. This represents a large portion of four-yearolds living in the region. However, according to the 2022 Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Needs and
Assets Report, Ili Uusim Mahtawa’apo defines its services area as the New Pascua Community,
followed by all other Pascua Yaqui Communities in the Tucson Area, Yaqui families living offreservation, and finally other eligible families in the area. This means that enrollment likely includes
children living outside of the region. Community members indicated that the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Head
Start usually serves about 140 children, but enrollment has been low due to a need for more teachers.
In 2019 and 2020, there were 21 family home providers certified/licensed by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Child Care Program, which is under the tribe’s Social Services Department. The Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Child Care Program serves families who are enrolled in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and reside in Pima,
Pinal or Maricopa County. Most of these providers were located in New Pascua and the Tucson area,
and six of them were located outside of the region but within the tribal communities. While the number
of providers stayed the same, the number of children ages 0 to 5 that received services increased sharply
from 17 in 2019 to 42 in 2020, while the number of 6 to 12-year-olds receiving services decreased
slightly from 45 to 42.
Funding from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Child Care Program is also used to provide child care assistance
to families whose children are enrolled in off-reservation private child care centers that are licensed by
ADHS. To qualify for this assistance, families must be enrolled in a federally recognized tribe and reside
in Pima, Pinal or Maricopa County. Between 2019 and 2020, the number of young children (birth to age
6) receiving child care assistance from the Pascua Yaqui Child Care Development Fund decreased by 26
(from 120 in 2019 to 94 in 2020), likely due to COVID-related closures of child care centers. In 2019,
children from birth to age 3 were receiving assistance the most frequently (51), but this decreased to 34
in 2020. In 2020, children ages 3 to 5 received assistance the most (50).
According to the 2022 FTF Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Needs and Assets Report, the average monthly
child care co-pay for families receiving assistance through the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Child Care Program
was $93 in 2019. The co-pay differed by type of provider: families with children enrolled in offreservation child care centers paid, on average, $313 per month; those whose children were in grouphome settings paid $83; and families with children cared for by family home providers paid an average
of $32 each month. This means that families receiving assistance paid substantially less than the median
monthly cost of care for children in Pima County. The median cost for a preschooler ages 3-5 exceeds
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 17
$700 per month for any kind of care besides family home providers, and costs for children age 2 and
younger are even higher.
As a percentage of monthly income, full-time center-based care for an infant would cost 39% of the
median family income in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region without a child care assistance. This percent
decreases slightly when paying for care for a 1- to 2-year-old (32%) or a 3- to 5-year-old (29%). Based
on the difference in median family income, the cost of unsubsidized center-based care as a percent of
income would be much higher in the region than in the county or state. Median child care costs have
risen 17% at certified family homes, 25% at small group homes, and between 6% and 16% at licensed
centers in Pima County between 2018 and 2022. The percent increase is even higher across the state as a
whole, likely making early care even less accessible and stressing the importance of assistance programs
for low-income families in Arizona. These data were not available specifically for the providers serving
the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region.
Families in the region may also receive assistance, now referred to as child case assistance, from the
Department of Economic Security (DES). The numbers of children ages birth to five that were eligible
for and receiving child care assistance though DES decreased sharply from 2020 onward. In 2022, only
18 children in the region were eligible for assistance, and only 13 were receiving assistance, down from
66 eligible for assistance and 57 receiving assistance in 2019. This is dissimilar from the trend in
Arizona as a whole. Note that the DES child care waitlist was suspended in 2019. Trends in Department
of Child Services (DCS)-involved children receiving child care assistance through DES resemble those
for non-DCS-involved children. Between 2017 and 2022, the number of DCS-involved children eligible
for assistance fell from 30 to less than 10, and those receiving likewise declined from 25 to less than 10.
Statewide, uptake of assistance for DCS-involved children has also declined but at a much less dramatic
rate.
As of 2023, the Ili Uusim Mahtawa’apo Pascua Yaqui Head Start was a Quality First child care provider
funded through the Arizona DES expansion, part of the American Rescue Plan/CARES Act in 2022.
This provider does not yet have a public star rating. As DES expansion funding is ending, the Pascua
Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council will take over funding the quality first slot for Pascua Yaqui
Tribe Head Start, as well as the new early learning center once it opens. Compared to Pima County, the
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region has a higher percentage of providers who are accredited (25%). Over a third
(36%) of young children in the region could attend an accredited child care provider based on these
providers’ capacity.
Qualifying children may receive services from either AzEIP and/or DDD, a number which can be used
to estimate the total number of young children receiving early intervention services in a region. For
children birth to age 2, fewer than 10 children in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region received services from
the Arizona Early Intervention Program (AzEIP) and/or the Division of Developmental Disabilities
(DDD) each year between 2019 and 2022. Most children (birth to 2) referred to AzEIP were referred by
a physician, between 61% and 85% from 2018 to 2022. In the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region, 27% of
children (birth to 2) who were referred to AzEIP in 2022 received services, a larger proportion than seen
in Pima County (18%) and Arizona (21%). Notably, providers were not able to contact the families of
18
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
nearly half of children referred to AzEIP (47%), which is more than twice the rate for Pima County
(21%). Another 13% of families whose young child was found eligible declined services.
According to the 2022 FTF Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Needs and Assets Report, the Pascua Yaqui
Tribe Education Department provides support services for students with special needs enrolled in Ili
Uusim Mahtawa’apo Pascua Yaqui Head Start and in public schools who have an Individualized
Educational Plan (IEP). Ili Uusim Mahtawa’apo Pascua Yaqui Head Start has a full-time interventionist
who works with children on site, and the special education advocate with the Tribe’s Education
Department is also able to provide advocacy services to parents and caregivers. In 2022, a total of 416
students in preschool through 3rd grade at off-reservation schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
students were enrolled in special education. This includes 59 preschoolers, 67 kindergarteners and 102
1st graders, 95 2nd graders and 93 3rd graders. However, the number of preschoolers with disabilities
served by a Local Educational Agency (LEA) in SFY 2022 (n=59) decreased substantially from
previous years, when it was between 76 and 80. Please note that these data reflect students of all races
and ethnicities.
Of the preschoolers with disabilities receiving services through LEAs between 2018 and 2022, 63%
were diagnosed with a speech or language delay, 24% with developmental delay, and 24% with a
preschool severe delay. The proportion of preschoolers with speech or language impairment is much
higher than that seen in the county, and developmental delay much lower. Among kindergarten through
3rd grade students enrolled in special education in off-reservation schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Region students during this same time period (2018-2022), more than half were diagnosed with a speech
or language impairment (52%), 29% a developmental delay, 7% a specific learning disability, 5%
autism, and 7% another disability. Again, the proportion of children diagnosed with a speech or
language impairment is higher for students attending schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe students (52%)
than Pima County (43%) and Arizona (36%).
According to the 2022 Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Needs and Assets Report, staff from the Yaqui
Education Services attends biweekly or monthly meetings to coordinate support services to students
with special needs enrolled in public schools in the area. Tucson Unified and Sunnyside Unified School
Districts provide the Tribe’s Education Department with a list of students who have IEPs or 504 plans.
As of August of 2021, 120 students (in all grades) were identified as eligible for special education
services and were receiving support from the Yaqui Education Services Program.
Child Health. According to the 2022 Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Needs and Assets Report, health care
services are available to residents from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region through the Pascua Yaqui Health
Services Division (PYHSD). PYHSD provides services to community members using a combination of
federal, state, tribal, and private funds. In 2021, PYHSD was approved by the Public Health
Accreditation Board to be an Accredited Public Health Department, which can help advance the quality,
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 19
performance, accountability, and management of community health departments. Notably, Pascua Yaqui
Tribe is the first tribe in Arizona to receive this accreditation.
Residents of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region who are members of a federally recognized tribe and
qualify for health care services through IHS are eligible to be enrolled in the Yoeme Health Plan. The
Yoeme Health Plan is a managed care plan that was established for community members who do not
have access to health care coverage through other means including Arizona’s Medicaid Program,
Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS). Between 2018 and 2020, the number of
children birth to 5 enrolled in the Yoeme Health Plan decreased from 98 to 75.
In 2020 and 2021, over half of births in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region were covered by AHCCCS
insurance (54% and 58%, respectively), which is lower than AHCCCS coverage across Arizona
reservations (71% in 2020) but slightly higher than Pima County (50% and 48%, respectively). Another
23%-30% of births were covered by IHS, which is higher than seen on all Arizona reservations (16% in
2020). Overall, the proportion of births covered by either AHCCCS or IHS is similar in the Pascua
Yaqui Tribe Region (77% and 88%, respectively) to all Arizona reservations (86% in 2020).
Of the 224 births in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region between 2019 and 2022, 12% were to mothers
younger than 20, which is higher than the 9% of births across all Arizona reservations and 5% in Pima
County and Arizona as a whole (in 2020). One-third of these births to teenaged mothers (4%) were to
mothers younger than 18. Looking at trends over time, the share of births to teenaged mothers (younger
than 20) nearly doubled in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region between 2019 and 2021, a period that
coincides with the most disruptive years of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the percentage of births
to teenaged mothers decreased in 2022. In Arizona, births to teenaged mothers both younger than 20 and
younger than 18 have declined year over year.
The share of mothers giving birth who smoked cigarettes during pregnancy is much smaller in the region
(2.7%) than in all Arizona reservations (11.1%), Pima County (4.4%) and Arizona overall (3.6%). The
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region and Arizona were meeting the Healthy People 2030 target of no more than
4.3% of females using tobacco during pregnancy. Between 2018 and 2022, 24 newborns were
hospitalized because of maternal drug use during pregnancy in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region. Based on
the total number of births, this equates to 8 newborns hospitalized per 100 births, more than double the
3.3 newborns hospitalized per 100 live births in the state. The average length of hospital stay was longer
in the region (12.2 days) than in Pima County (11.1 days) and Arizona as a whole (9.5 days).
Between 2018 and 2022, rates of pre-pregnancy obesity and gestational diabetes in the Pascua Yaqui
Tribe Region fluctuated greatly, which is common when looking at a small number of births in each
year. Pre-pregnancy obesity increased from about one in five births in 2018 (21.7%) to almost two in
three births in 2020 (63.5%) before decreasing to about half of births in 2022 (51.9%). Gestational
diabetes followed a similar pattern, varying from 11.6% of births in 2018 to 25% of births in 2020 to
18.5% of births in 2022. In 2021, the latest year that can be compared with the state, the Pascua Yaqui
Tribe Region had much higher rates of both pre-pregnancy obesity (46% compared with 27.1%) and
gestational diabetes (18.5% compared with 9.9%). Statewide, about 1 in 8 mothers (13.7%) reported
experiencing postpartum depressive symptoms in 2020, nearly the same rate as that seen nationwide
20
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
(13.4%). National data show that more than one in five (22%) American Indian and Alaska Native
mothers in the U.S. experienced postpartum depressive symptoms in 2018, suggesting that Native
mothers may be at higher risk of postpartum depression.
In 2021 higher proportions of the babies born in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region were low birthweight
(14%,), preterm (16%) and/or admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) (18%) than in
Arizona overall. The proportion of births that were low-birthweight (9.3%) and preterm (13.5%) in 2020
were also slightly higher in the region than across all Arizona reservations (8.9% and 12.6%,
respectively). The Healthy People 2030 target for the percentage of preterm births is 9.4% or lower.
From 2018 to 2021, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region was about 4% to 7% above this target, however the
percent of preterm births dropped to 9.3% in 2022, meaning that the region met the Healthy People 2030
target in 2022.
From 2018 to 2020, the majority of WIC-enrolled infants in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region were
breastfed at least once (between 70% and 72%), which is slightly higher than across all ITCA WIC
programs (between 65% and 71%). Conversely, the portion of infants who were breastfed (either
exclusively or in combination with other nutrition) at six months was slightly lower in the region
(between 17% and 24%) than all ITCA WIC programs (between 23% and 26%).
Childhood immunizations protect against many diseases, including diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis
(DTaP); polio; and measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). According to the 2023 Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Head Start Program Information Report, 78% of children in Ili Uusim Mahtawa’apo Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Head Start program were up-to-date on required immunizations. In the 2022-23 school year,
immunization rates for children enrolled in child care centers that frequently serve Pascua Yaqui Tribe
families (DTaP 97.1%; Polio 98.6%; MMR 98.6%) were substantially higher than statewide child care
immunization rates (DTaP 90.6%; Polio 92.2%; MMR 93%). The immunization rate in these centers
met the Healthy People 2030 DTaP immunization target of 90%. Rates of exemption from all required
vaccines (0.6%) were less than half the rate seen in Pima County (1.7%) and substantially lower than the
statewide rate of 4%. Similarly, kindergarten immunization rates in off-reservation schools serving
Pascua Yaqui Tribe students (DTaP 86.1%; Polio 86.4%; MMR 86.1%) were also lower than statewide
rates (DTaP 89.6%; Polio 90.3%; MMR 89.9%) in the 2022-23 school year. However, both
immunization rates in these schools and schools statewide failed to meet the Healthy People 2030
kindergarten MMR immunization target of 95%. Personal belief exemption rates (0.9%) and rates of
exemptions from all required vaccines (0.7%) were again substantially lower than rates in Pima County
(3.4% and 2.2%, respectively) or Arizona overall (7.3% and 4.6%, respectively).
In 2022, there were eight confirmed and probable cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and 11
cases of influenza among young children (birth to age 5) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region. There were
between one and five infant deaths in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region between 2019 and 2021. This very
low number of deaths means that mortality rates cannot be reported to protect individual privacy. Pima
County’s infant mortality rate (5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births) was slightly higher than Arizona’s (5.4),
and both were above the Healthy People 2030 target of 5.0 or fewer.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 21
The types of unintentional injuries leading to non-fatal emergency department visits among young
children (birth to age 4) are similar in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region to the state as a whole. Between
2016 and 2020, the majority of emergency department visits among young children in the region were
due to falls (n=41), with smaller numbers due to being struck by or against an object, natural or
environmental reasons, poisoning or other causes. Data on causes of inpatient hospitalizations among
young children in the region during this time were suppressed due to small numbers. There were fewer
than six deaths of children ages birth to 17 between 2018 and 2021; specific data on leading causes of
death cannot be reported to protect individual privacy.
Family Support and Literacy. Through two new grant agreements with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, the
First Things First Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council partner with the tribal government
to implement the Language, Literacy and Culture in Tribal Communities strategy that support the
creation of materials to be used in the classrooms that will be implementing a curriculum with emphasis
in Yoeme language, history, and culture. Furthermore, this strategy also funds a position that creates and
distributes materials in partnerships with tribal departments and programs that are reflective of the tribal
language and culture including books, posters and informational flyers that are shared during community
events. The Ili Uusim Hiapsi (Little Children’s Hearts) Program, offered through the Sewa U’usim
Community Partnership, is a voluntary, community and home-based program available for families from
pregnancy through the child’s 8th year. The program provides a wide range of diagnostic, family
support, therapeutic, educational and cultural services. In 2022, the Ili Uusin Hiapsi program received a
federal Tribal Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) Grant to expand home
visitation services.
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe provides mental health services through the Pascua Yaqui Health Services
Division Centered Spirit Program. Centered Spirit offers culturally-based mental health and substance
use services to families in the region, including crisis evaluations for emergency situations; individual,
couple, family and group therapy; a methadone/suboxone clinic; a youth life skills group; and group
homes for adolescents and adult women and men. The Centered Spirit Child and Family Team (C&FT)
provides culturally-informed and trauma-sensitive services for families with young children. Ili Uusim
Mahtawa’apo Pascua Yaqui Head Start staff referral enrolled children to the C&FT for evaluation and
services, which are then provided at the Ili Uusim Mahtawa’apo Head Start center. C&FT also teaches
emotional regulation skills at summer school in the region and does outreach at community events to
reach families whose children are not enrolled at Head Start. Data from the 2022 Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Regional Needs and Assets Report indicate that between 42 and 48 children received services from the
Centered Spirit C&FT Program each year from 2018 to 2020. Another behavioral health program in the
region is Sewa U’usim, a wraparound treatment program for children and their families that includes
formal support (e.g. counselors), community-based support (e.g. friends, elders, traditional healers), and
relatives. Services under Sewa U’usim include the Yoeme Kari Group Home (YKGH) and the Tortuga
Ranch and Ka’vai Hitevi (Horse Healers).
Between 2017 and 2021, there were fewer than 6 deaths with opiates or opioids contributing in the
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region. However, it is important to note that this only includes deaths occurring
22
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
within the region and with address data that allowed the death to be properly assigned to a FTF region.
A majority of respondents (80%) to the Gathering Hiaki Voices Survey ranked substance use as among
the top three health problems in the community, placing it among the seven identified priority areas of
the Pascua Yaqui Tribe 2021 Community Health Needs Assessment. The rate of infants hospitalized for
maternal drug use from 2018 to 2022 reported in the child health section also supports this.
Support services in the region for community members struggling with substance use include Centered
Spirit’s Tu’iriauvicha Vo’o- Men’s and Women’s PATH residential program and New Beginnings, a
medication-assisted treatment clinic for individuals with opioid use disorder that includes wrap-around
services. The Pascua Yaqui Tribe’s Reentry Initiative, part of the Itom Yoemia Initiative, targets the
challenge of alcohol and substance use in the community as well as its impact on incidents of domestic
violence and other criminal cases. Part of this initiative is an alternative to incarceration program called
the Healing to Wellness Court, which uses culturally appropriate treatment and healing practices in
partnership with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Language and Culture Department to reduce criminal activity
and recidivism. According to a 2021 evaluation of the program, 72% of offenders did not have a new
arrest after six months, and 66% did not have a new arrest after 12 months of participating in the
program.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 23
ABOUT THIS REPORT
There is growing acknowledgement of the role our physical, social, and economic environments play in
our day-to-day health and wellbeing. 1 These factors, known as the social determinants of health, have an
especially strong effect on the development of young children ages birth to 5 and accumulate over
time. 2, 3 Measuring and addressing these conditions can significantly impact not only early health and
education outcomes, but also health and economic circumstances later in life. 4, 5, 6 It is important to
acknowledge that structural inequities in access to quality health care, schools, and education as well as
living, working and leisure conditions lead to disparate outcomes within and between groups of people. 7
For example, the U.S.’s history of segregation, discriminatory policy and differential investment across
communities has created generational disparities in outcomes for people of color. 8 Native communities
have additionally experienced periods of genocide, forced relocation and assimilation leading to
systemically poorer economics and health compared with other groups. 9, 10 This Needs and Assets
Report covers many structural and social determinants of health including population characteristics,
economic characteristics, early learning and educational indicators, child health, and family support and
literacy for the First Things First Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region.
The data in this report come from a variety of sources including federal and state agencies and local
agencies or service providers. Federal government sources include publicly available data from the 2020
Census and the 2017-2021 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. Data in this report
from the ACS summarize the responses from samples of residents taken between 2017 and 2021.
Because these estimates are based on samples rather than the entire population, ACS data should not be
considered exact. Estimates for smaller geographies, such as regions, are less accurate than estimates for
larger geographies, such as the state, because they are based on smaller sample sizes.
Data were provided to FTF by state agencies including the Arizona Department of Health Services, the
Arizona Department of Education and the Arizona Department of Economic Security. In most cases, the
data in this report were calculated specifically for the Needs and Assets process and are more detailed
than the data that are published by these agencies for the general public. Whenever possible, this report
will use data tailored to the region, but in some cases, there are only county-level or statewide data
available to report. This report also includes publicly available data for the state and counties to
supplement data received through specific requests, including from state agencies such as the Arizona
Department of Commerce’s Office of Economic Opportunity and the Arizona Department of Child
Safety semi-annual child welfare reports. When more recent data from public or state agency datasets
were not available, this report also cites data from the 2022 FTF Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Needs
and Assets Report.
In most tables in this report, the top rows of data correspond to the FTF Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region. Not
all data are available at the FTF regional level because not all data sources analyze their data based on
FTF regional boundaries. The other table rows present data that are useful for comparison purposes,
including Pima County, all Arizona reservations combined, the state of Arizona and national estimates
24
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
or targets where available. Data tables and graphs are as complete as possible. Data which are not
available for a particular geography are indicated by the abbreviation "N/A." State agencies have
varying policies about reporting small values. Entries such as "<11" are used when the count is too small
to be reported and has been suppressed to protect privacy. In some cases, table entries will indicate a
range of values such as "1 to 9" because the suppression policy prevented the vendor from knowing the
exact value, but comparison of these ranges of possible values to other values in the table or figure may
still be useful. Table entries of "DS" indicate that data have been suppressed and we are unable to
provide a useful range of possible values. Additional data tables not included in the body of the report
can be found in APPENDIX 1: ADDITIONAL DATA TABLES.
ABOUT THIS REPORT
25
THE PASCUA YAQUI TRIBE REGION
The First Things First regional boundaries were initially established in 2007, creating 31 regions which
were designed to (a) reflect the view of families in terms of where they access services, (b) coincide
with existing boundaries or service areas of organizations providing early childhood services, (c)
maximize the ability to collaborate with service systems and local governments and facilitate the ability
to convene a Regional Partnership Council and (d) allow for the collection of demographic and indicator
data. The regional boundaries are reviewed every two years. In state fiscal year 2015, the boundaries
were modified using census blocks, creating 28 regions.
When First Things First was established by the passage of Proposition 203 in November 2006, the
government-to-government relationship with federally recognized tribes was acknowledged. Each tribe
with tribal lands located in Arizona was given the opportunity to participate within a First Things First
designated region or elect to be designated as a separate region. The Pascua Yaqui Tribe was one of 10
tribes that chose to be designated as its own region. This decision must be ratified every two years, and
the Pascua Yaqui Tribe has opted to continue to be designated as its own region.
The boundaries of the First Things First Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council are those of
the Pascua Pueblo Yaqui Reservation in Pima County. The region covers approximately 2.2 square
miles. Figure 1 shows the geographical area covered by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region. Additional
information is available at the end of this report, including a map and table of the region’s zip codes in
Appendix 3 and a map and a list of school districts in the region in Appendix 4.
26
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Figure 1. The First Things First Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Source: 2020 TIGER/Line Shapefiles prepared by the U.S. Census. Map produced by CRED.
THE PASCUA YAQUI TRIBE REGION 27
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS
28
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS
Why It Matters
Accurate information about the number and characteristics of families allows policy makers and
program providers to understand what resources are needed in their communities, including where
services should be located and how to tailor offerings to the specific needs of those who are likely to use
them. 11, 12, 13, 14 For example, identifying which communities have high numbers of families with young
children can facilitate strategic investments in libraries, playgrounds, health care facilities, social
services and educational systems, which can help families with young children thrive. 15, 16 Program and
policy decisions that are informed by data on the composition of children’s home and community
environments help ensure more effective supports for families and have a greater chance to improve
well-being, economic security and educational outcomes for children.
2020 Census data and its limitations
The release of 2020 Census data in 2023 provided updated information on the population of Arizona and
the nation as a whole. However, the 2020 Census faced unprecedented challenges in conducting an
accurate count of the population, the foremost of which included the COVID-19 pandemic and its
related disruptions to institutions such as tribal and local governments, schools and health care
facilities. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 Overall, data quality reviews of the 2020 Census have concluded that the data are
generally reliable and accurate for the overall population; however, specific groups that have been
undercounted in the past were again undercounted, this time more severely. 22 Nationwide, American
Indians living on reservations were estimated to be undercounted by 5.6% (compared to 4.9% in 2010),
and Hispanic or Latino individuals were undercounted by an estimated 5.0% (compared with 1.5% in
2010). Young children birth to age 4 were also undercounted by 3-5% nationwide, meaning that as many
as 1 in 20 young children birth to age 4 were missed by the Census. 23 These undercounts are important
to keep in mind when using Census data, particularly data for young children and for communities with
substantial American Indian and Hispanic or Latino populations. Undercounted communities risk
receiving fewer resources for at least the next decade since the decennial census counts are the basis of
many federal funding allocations. 24, 25
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS 29
What the Data Tell Us
Population, race and ethnicity
While young children make up a small proportion of the overall population, their well-being has widereaching impacts on families, social service systems and the state’s future population. Continued
investment in children’s well-being and the well-being of their families was deemed by the National
Academy of Sciences as “the most efficient strategy” for strengthening the future workforce and
supporting a thriving community. 26, 27
Knowing the racial-ethnic composition of communities can inform efforts to ensure equitable access to
services and resources. Many racial and ethnic minority groups in the U.S. experience reduced access to
health care services, more poverty and housing inequality, poorer living conditions and increased rates
of homelessness in comparison to non-Hispanic White Americans. 28, 29, 30, 31 In Native communities,
these disparities have been shaped by decades of inequitable federal policies and underinvestment. 32
These inequities result in disproportionately worse overall health as indicated by higher rates of disease
and illness, untreated physical health conditions and lower life expectancies within these groups. 33
Understanding a community’s racial-ethnic composition is also critical for identifying communities
facing higher risks from environmental and public health hazards due to historic underinvestment and
other factors—as the COVID-19 pandemic made woefully clear. 34
How the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region is faring
30
•
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the total population of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region was
3,466, of whom 336 were young children (birth to age 5). About one-quarter (26%) of the 865
households in the region had one or more young children. The proportion of households with
young children in the region (26%) was both higher than all Arizona reservations combined
(20%) and at least double the proportion in Pima County (11%) and Arizona (13%) (Table 1).
•
According to the Census, the overall population of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region did not
change substantially between 2010 and 2020 (-0.3%). This is smaller than the decrease seen
across all Arizona reservations (-3%). However, the population of young children (birth to age 5)
decreased by -29%, which is a larger decrease than the -26% seen across all Arizona reservations
(Table 2 & Figure 2).
•
As previously mentioned in 2020 Census data and its limitations, American Indians living on
reservations and young children (birth to age 4) were specifically found to be substantially
undercounted in the 2020 Census (5.6% and 3-5% nationally). Given this, tribal enrollment data
is another important source for population counts in Native communities. Based on data from the
Pascua Yaqui Tribal Enrollment Department, in 2020 the Pascua Yaqui Tribe had a total
enrollment of 18,582. This included 3,981 individuals living on-reservation, of whom 154 were
young children (birth to age 5) (Table 3).
•
Another way to understand potential undercounting of young children in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Region is to compare 2020 Census data on the 0- to 5-years-old population to Arizona
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Department of Health Services (ADHS) data on births from 2015 to 2020. Census estimates are
lower by about 11 children per year compared with the count of births. ADHS reports 402 births
occurring between 2015 and 2020 compared to 336 children birth to age 5 enumerated by the
Census (Figure 4).
•
Almost all of the population (90%) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region identified as American
Indian. However almost one-quarter (24%) identified as Hispanic or Latino, which is higher than
across all Arizona reservations (6% of the total population). Smaller portions of the total
population in the region identified as Multiracial (8%), Non-Hispanic White (2%), Black or
African American (1%) or Asian or Pacific Islander (1%) in 2020 (Figure 5 & Figure 6). These
breakdowns were similar for young children, with slightly higher portions identified as American
Indian (91%), Hispanic or Latino (28%), Multiracial (12%), and Black or African American
(3%), when compared to the overall population.
Table 1. Population and households in the 2020 U.S. Census
Number and percent of
households with one or more
children (ages 0-5)
Total population
Population (ages
0-5)
Total number of
households
3,466
336
865
227
26%
173,499
15,140
50,362
10,167
20%
Pima County
1,043,433
62,466
427,021
45,676
11%
Arizona
7,151,502
480,744
2,705,878
345,601
13%
331,449,281
22,401,565
126,817,580
16,429,111
13%
Geography
Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Region
All Arizona
Reservations
United States
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2023). 2020 Decennial Census, Demographic & Housing Characteristics (DHC), Tables P1, P14, P20 &
HCT3
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS 31
Table 2. Change in the total population and population of children ages 0-5, 2010 to 2020
Census
Total population
2010
2020
% Change
2010 to 2020
2010
2020
% Change
2010 to 2020
3,478
3,466
-0.3%
470
336
-29%
178,131
173,499
-3%
20,511
15,140
-26%
980,263
1,043,433
+6%
74,796
62,466
-16%
6,392,017
7,151,502
+12%
546,609
480,744
-12%
308,745,538
331,449,281
+7%
24,258,220
22,401,565
-8%
Geography
Pascua Yaqui
Tribe Region
All Arizona
Reservations
Pima County
Arizona
United States
Population (Ages 0-5)
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2023). 2020 Decennial Census, Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC), Tables P1, P14,
HCT3. U.S. Census Bureau (2010). 2010 Decennial Census, Summary File 1, Tables P1, P14, P20.
Figure 2. Change in the total population and population of children ages 0-5, 2010 to 2020
Census
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
All Arizona
Reservations
Pima County
Arizona
-29%
-0.3%
-26%
-3%
-16%
+6%
-12%
United States
Children ages 0-5 change, 2010 to 2020
+12%
-8%
+7%
Total population change, 2010 to 2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2023). 2020 Decennial Census, Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC), Tables P1, P14, HCT3.
U.S. Census Bureau (2010). 2010 Decennial Census, Summary File 1, Tables P1, P14, P20.
32
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Table 3. Pascua Yaqui Tribe Enrollment, 2019 to 2020
On
Reservation
(2019)
Off
Reservation
(2019)
Total
(2019)
On
Reservation
(2020)
Off
Reservation
(2020)
Total
(2020)
210
709
919
154
570
724
Under age 1
12
56
68
7
15
22
Age 1
30
89
119
12
55
67
Age 2
27
115
142
30
89
119
Age 3
33
137
170
27
115
142
Age 4
45
157
202
33
138
171
Age 5
63
155
218
45
158
203
847
2,723
3,570
847
2,665
3,512
Total children (ages 0-17)
1,057
3,432
4,489
1,001
3,235
4,236
Adults (ages 18 and older)
2,909
11,137
14,046
2,980
11,366
14,346
Total membership
3,966
14,569
18,535
3,981
14,601
18,582
Age group
Young children (ages 0-5)
School-age children (ages 6-17)
Source: First Things First (2022). Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council 2022 Needs and Assets Report. Retrieved on Dec
1, 2023 from
https://files.firstthingsfirst.org/regions/Publications/PYT%202022%20Regional%20Needs%20and%20Assets%20Report.pdf
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS 33
Figure 3. Pascua Yaqui Tribe On-Reservation Enrollment, 2019 to 2020
63
45
45
30
12
30
33
33
27
12
7
Under 1 year
27
Age 1
Age 2
2019
Age 3
2020
Age 4
Age 5
Source: First Things First (2022). Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council 2022 Needs and Assets Report. Retrieved on Dec 1,
2023 from https://files.firstthingsfirst.org/regions/Publications/PYT%202022%20Regional%20Needs%20and%20Assets%20Report.pdf
34
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Figure 4. Children by single year of age in the 2020 Census compared to recent birth numbers
in the region (2015 to 2020)
Children by age, Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Births by year, Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
77
67
75
69
65
60
56
54
69
52
50
44
Age 5
Age 4
Age 3
Age 2
Age 1
Under
Age 1
Children by age, Arizona
88,374
Age 5
84,600 82,033
Age 4
Age 3
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Births by year, Arizona
78,159
Age 2
75,163
Age 1
72,415
Under
Age 1
85,024 84,404
81,664 80,539
79,183 76,781
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
Source: Arizona Department of Health Services (2021). [Vital Statistics Births dataset]. Unpublished data.
Note: Looking at these two figures allows a comparison of 2020 Census estimates (left) of the population size of young children by age
with the count of births from their likely birth year (right) to try to understand further how much the Census may have undercounted
young children.
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS 35
Figure 5. Race and ethnicity of the population of all ages, 2020 Census
90% 93%
57%
31%
24%
6%
2%
5%
1% 1%
Hispanic or Latino Non-Hispanic
White
6%
Black or African
American
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
6%
1% 1%
8%
5%
American Indian Asian or Pacific
or Alaska Native
Islander
All Arizona Reservations
14%
3%
Multiracial
Arizona
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2023). 2020 Decennial Census, Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC), P6, P7, P8, P9, P12,
P12A-W.
Note: The six percentages shown in this figure may sum to more or less than 100% because (a) persons reporting Hispanic ethnicity are
counted twice if their race is Black, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, or any combination of two or more races, (b) persons
reporting any other race are not counted here unless they have Hispanic ethnicity, and (c) rounding.
Figure 6. Race and ethnicity for children birth to age 4, 2020 Census
95%
91%
51%
38%
28%
26%
8%
1% 3%
Hispanic or Latino Non-Hispanic
White
3% 1%
9%
Black or African
American
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
7%
0% 1%
7%
12%
American Indian Asian or Pacific
or Alaska Native
Islander
All Arizona Reservations
4%
Multiracial
Pima County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2023). 2020 Decennial Census, Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC), P6, P7, P8, P9, P12,
P12A-W.
Note: The six percentages shown in this figure may sum to more or less than 100% because (a) persons reporting Hispanic ethnicity are
counted twice if their race is Black, American Indian, Asian, Pacific Islander, or any combination of two or more races, (b) persons
reporting any other race are not counted here unless they have Hispanic ethnicity, and (c) rounding.
36
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Language use
Language provides an important connection to family, community and culture. Arizona is home to many
sovereign tribal nations whose Native languages are a vital cultural strength. Language preservation and
revitalization are critical to safeguarding traditional knowledge and promoting Indigenous selfdetermination, social unity and educational equity. 35, 36, 37 Unfortunately, the latest estimates for Native
language use in Arizona from the American Community Survey point to a sharp decline in the number
of speakers of native languages between 2019 and 2021. While the population of English-only speakers
rose 0.3% between 2019 and 2021, the population of speakers of Native North American languages
other than Navajo i declined by an estimated 27% (from over 30,000 to about 22,500). 38 This decrease
reflects the devastating losses that Native communities experienced during the COVID-19
pandemic. 39,40 These deaths, especially among Native elders, signify a loss of life and of traditional
knowledge, cultural history and language. 41,42 Ongoing support for cultural preservation and language
revitalization continues to be a critical need for Native communities in Arizona.
Mastery of more than one language is also an asset in school readiness and academic achievement and
may offer cognitive and social-emotional benefits in early school experiences and across one’s
lifetime. 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 However, families with lower English proficiency may also face barriers to
accessing information about health care and other services or engaging with their children’s teachers.
Children who do not yet have a full grasp of English may also experience difficulties in school,
impeding their academic success and resulting in negative health outcomes. 48, 49 Knowing the languages
spoken and level of English proficiency in a region can inform the development of resources and
services in multiple languages, ensuring that they are accessible to all families. 50, 51
How the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region is faring
•
While about two-thirds (64%) of individuals in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region speak only
English at home, 31% speak Spanish at home, a much higher proportion than seen across all
Arizona reservations (3%) and Pima County (23%). The remaining 5% speak a language other
than English or Spanish (most likely a Native North American language) at home, which is
similar to Pima County (5%) and the state as a whole (6%) but much lower than all Arizona
reservations combined (50%) (Figure 7). 52
•
Of those individuals speaking a language other than English at home, the majority also speak
English “very well,” ii with one-third of the region proficiently bilingual or multilingual (33%)
(Figure 8).
i The population of Navajo speakers declined by an estimated 13% (from over 90,000 to about 78,000) in Arizona between 2019 and 2021
ii “Very well” refers to the self-rated ability to speak English in response to the American Community Survey question “How well does this
person speak English?”. Other response options include: “well,” “not well” and “not at all.” See
https://www.census.gov/topics/population/language-use/about.html
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS 37
38
•
About 4% of households in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region are considered limited-Englishspeaking, meaning no one over the age of 13 in the household speaks English very well (Figure
9). This is a smaller proportion than seen across all Arizona reservations (12%), however there is
still some need for bilingual or multilingual staff and resources to support families whose first
language is not English, especially given the high percentage of individuals speaking Spanish at
home. 53, 54
•
Children living in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region attend a number of schools located outside of
the region (see the note in Table 4). During the 2021-22 school year, about one in every 10
preschool to 12th grade students (10%) at these schools were considered English Language
Learners (Table 4). Please note that this proportion includes students who are not living in the
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region.
•
English Language Learners are identified through the Arizona Department of Education (ADE)
Home Language Survey, which asks families about the student’s first language and what
language is spoken at home most of the time. Statewide, there were 27 students with reported
Yaqui language use at home in 2020-21, decreasing to 23 students in 2021-22. Fewer than 11 of
these students attended off-reservation schools that serve Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region students
(Table 5).
•
The Gathering Hiaki Voices Survey, part of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Community Health Needs
Assessment in 2020, gathered information from 307 community member respondents living in
Pima County about their language use and ability. 55 The survey indicated that almost all
participants were able to read, write, speak or understand English (99%) and used it weekly or
daily (100%). Almost all participants also indicated the ability to read, write, speak or understand
Spanish (94%), and over half used Spanish weekly or daily (57%). While four in 10 reported
reading, writing, speaking or understanding the Yoeme language (40%), only one in 10 reported
using it on a weekly or daily basis (11%) (Figure 10).
•
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe Education Department provides language classes to community
members interested in learning the Yoeme language, which were formerly offered by the
Language and Culture Department. According to the 2022 FTF Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional
Needs and Assets Report, there were 289 people registered for classes in the Language Program,
and 112 registered in the Traditional Arts Program in the 2018-19 school year. This high level of
interest in the Yoeme language is a strength in the region. 56
•
Additionally, through two new grant agreements with the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, the First Things
First Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council partner with the tribal government to
implement the Language, Literacy and Culture in Tribal Communities strategy that support the
creation of materials to be used in the classrooms that will be implementing a curriculum with
emphasis in Yoeme language, history, and culture. Furthermore, this strategy also funds a
position that creates and distributes materials in partnerships with tribal departments and
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
programs that are reflective of the tribal language and culture including books, posters and
informational flyers that are shared during community events. 57
•
According to the 2022 FTF Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Needs and Assets Report, the Pascua
Yaqui Tribe Department of Language and Culture provides language classes to community
members interested in learning the Yoeme language. In the 2018-19 school year, there were 289
people registered for classes in the Language Program, and 112 registered in the Traditional Arts
Program. This high level of interest in the Yoeme language is a strength in the region.
Figure 7. Language spoken at home (by persons ages 5 and older), 2017-2021 ACS
All Arizona Reservations
31%
64%
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
47%
3%
5%
50%
Pima County
73%
23%
5%
Arizona
73%
20%
6%
13%
8%
78%
United States
Speak only English at home
Speak Spanish at home
Speak languages other than English or Spanish at home
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Table C16001
Note: The three percentages in each bar may not sum to 100% because of rounding. The American Community Survey (ACS) no longer
specifies the proportion of the population who speak Native North American languages for geographies smaller than the state. In
Arizona, Navajo and other Native American languages (including Apache, Hopi, and O'odham) are the most commonly spoken (2%),
following English (73%) and Spanish (20%).
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS 39
Figure 8. English-language proficiency (for persons ages 5 and older), 2017-2021 ACS
33%
64%
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
47%
All Arizona Reservations
3%
12%
41%
Pima County
73%
20%
8%
Arizona
73%
18%
8%
78%
United States
13%
8%
Speak only English at home
Speak another language, and speak English very well
Speak another language at home, and do not speak English very well
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Table C16001
Note: The three percentages in the figure should sum to 100%, but may not because of rounding.
Figure 9. Share of households that are limited-English-speaking, 2017-2021 ACS
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
4%
All Arizona Reservations
12%
Pima County
4%
Arizona
4%
United States
4%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Table C16002
Note: A “limited-English-speaking” household is one in which no one over the age of 13 speaks English very well.
40
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Table 4. Number of English Language Learners enrolled in all grades, 2020-21 to 2021-22
Geography
Number of PS-12 students who were
English Language Learners
Percent of PS-12 students who were
English Language Learners
2020-21
2021-22
2020-21
2021-22
Off-reservation schools serving
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
students
1,382
1,427
9%
10%
Pima County schools
10,450
10,703
7%
7%
Arizona schools
86,405
91,881
8%
8%
Source: Arizona Department of Education (2023). [Oct 1 Enrollment Dataset]. Custom tabulation of unpublished data by the UArizona
CRED Team.
Notes: The ‘Off-reservation schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region students’ row includes data from Drachman Primary Magnet
School, Raul Grijalva Elementary School, Harriet Johnson Primary School, Amelia Maldonado Elementary School, Miller Elementary
School, Vesey Elementary School, Frances J Warren Elementary School, John E White Elementary School, Anna Lawrence
Intermediate School, Hollinger K-8 School, McCorkle PK-8 School, Roskruge Bilingual Magnet Middle School, Safford K-8 School,
Mansfield Middle School, Pistor Middle School, Valencia Middle School, Tucson High Magnet School, Cholla High School, Project
More High School, and Catalina Online Learning Experience (all Tucson Unified School District schools), as well as Academy Del Sol
– Star Valley and Ha:san Preparatory & Leadership School (both charter schools).
English Language Learners are students who do not score ‘proficient’ in the English language based on the Arizona English Language
Learning Assessment (AZELLA) and thus are eligible for additional supportive services for English language acquisition. Legislation in
Arizona requires children in Arizona public schools be taught in English, and English Language Learners to attend English immersion
programs. Senate Bill 1014 passed in 2019, increased the flexibility districts have in structuring English Language Learners immersion
programs, and lessened the duration required of this instruction. For more information see https://www.azed.gov/oelas/structuredenglish-immersion-models
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS 41
Table 5. ADE Primary home language survey data, 2020-21 to 2021-22
Number of students in
households where Yaqui is
spoken
Geography
Percent of students in
households where
Yaqui is spoken
2020-21
2021-22
2020-21
2021-22
Off-reservation schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region students
<11
<11
DS
DS
Pima County schools
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Arizona schools
27
23
<2%
<2%
Source: Arizona Department of Education (2023). [PHLOTE Dataset]. Custom tabulation of unpublished data by the UArizona CRED
Team.
Notes: The Primary Home Language survey is completed by parents or caregivers of a student when they first enroll in school. The
survey asks what language is spoken at home most of the time, what language the student speaks most of the time, and what language the
student first spoke or understood. The ‘Off-reservation schools serving Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region students’ row includes data from
schools outside the region—see Appendix 4 for a full list.
Figure 10. Language use reported by respondents to the Pascua Yaqui Community Survey,
2020
99%
100%
94%
57%
40%
11%
English
Spanish
Read, write, speak, or understand
Yoeme
Use it weekly or daily
Source: First Things First (2022). Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council 2022 Needs and Assets Report. Retrieved on Dec 1,
2023 from https://files.firstthingsfirst.org/regions/Publications/PYT%202022%20Regional%20Needs%20and%20Assets%20Report.pdf
Family and household composition
Young children in Arizona come from households with many potential compositions, each of which has
possible implications for child development. 58, 59, 60 For example, families with two married parents
tend to offer stability that promotes child well-being. 61, 62, 63 Single-parent households are common and
can be linked to levels of poverty, access to health and education resources and the quality of a child’s
interactions with adult caregivers. 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70 Multi-generational living, particularly arrangement
42
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
where grandparents live in the home with children and parents, has long been practiced in some cultures
and communities but is becoming increasingly common in U.S. families of all backgrounds. 71, 72, 73, 74
These living arrangements can offer financial and social benefits but also specific stressors, such as
managing conflicts in parenting styles and family roles. 75, 76 ,77, 78, 79 It is also increasingly common for
children to live in kinship care, defined as the care of children by someone other than their parents, such
as relatives or close friends. 80, 81, 82 These kinship caregivers, especially grandparents who care for their
grandchildren, can face unique challenges, including navigating the logistics of informal guardianship
(e.g., difficulties in registering children for school), coping with parental absence and addressing the
challenges of being an aging caregiver for a young child. 83, 84, 85, 86
Though varying from one community to another, multigenerational households and kinship care are
common in Native communities. 87, 88 The strengths associated with the extended family structure,
including mutual help and respect, can provide family members with a network of support that can be
valuable when dealing with socio-economic hardships. 89 Grandparents are often central to these
households and care situations, in many cases sharing and strengthening Native language, history and
culture. 90, 91
How the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region is faring
•
The majority of young children (birth to age 5) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region live in a
household with one unmarried parent iii (75%), which is a larger proportion than across all
Arizona reservations (65%), Pima County (37%) and the state (37%). More than one in seven
(15%) young children live with non-relatives, while smaller shares live with relatives other than
parents (such as grandparents, aunts and uncles) (6%) or two married parents (4%) (Table 6).
•
Almost half of young children (47%) in the region lives in a grandparent’s household, which is
higher than across all Arizona reservations (43%) (Figure 11). In contrast, 14% of grandparents
in the region are living with grandchildren (birth to age 17) without a parent also present in the
household, which is the same as across Arizona reservations combined (Figure 12). This
indicates that most children living with grandparents are in multigenerational households with
parent(s) present, where grandparents may or may not be responsible for raising the child.
•
The ACS considers a grandparent to be responsible for their grandchildren if they are "currently
responsible for most of the basic needs of any grandchildren under the age of 18" who live in the
grandparent's household. Based on this definition, an estimated 185 grandparents in the Pascua
iii Note that due to the way the ACS asks about family relationships, children living with two unmarried, cohabitating parents are not
counted as living with two parents (these children are counted in the ‘one parent’ category). New data from the 2020 Census (table P20)
for children ages 0-17 shows that in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region, 22% of the children living in households with an unmarried parent
are actually living in cohabitating couple families where there are two parents present but they are not married. This means that for
children of all ages living with their parents in 2020, 30% were living in households led by married parents, 47% were living in households
led by an unmarried (and not cohabitating) mother, 16% were living in households led by cohabitating parents and 7% were living in
households led by an unmarried (and not cohabitating) father.
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS 43
Yaqui Tribe Region are responsible for their grandchildren under 18 years old. A parent is also
present in most of these households (only 22% without the child’s parent). The majority of these
grandparents are female (65%), and 37% are in the labor force, meaning that they may need child
care for their grandchildren while they are working. Notably, only 16% have an income below
the poverty level, which is less than half the percent across all Arizona Reservations (36%) and
lower than Pima County (21%) (Table 7).
Table 6. Living arrangements for children birth to age 5, 2017-2021 ACS
Estimated number of
children (birth to age 5)
living in households
Living with two
married parents
Living with one
parent
Living not with
parents but with
other relatives
Living with nonrelatives
280
4%
75%
6%
15%
15,661
25%
65%
8%
2%
Pima County
66,105
58%
37%
3%
2%
Arizona
496,219
59%
37%
3%
2%
23,353,556
64%
32%
2%
2%
Geography
Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Region
All Arizona
Reservations
United States
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Tables B05009, B09001, & B17001
Note: The four percentages in each row should sum to 100%, but may not because of rounding. The term “parent” here includes
stepparents. Please note that due to the way the ACS asks about family relationships, children living with two unmarried, cohabitating
parents are not counted as living with two parents (these children are counted in the ‘one parent’ category).
Figure 11. Grandchildren birth to age 5 living in a grandparent’s household, 2020 Census
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
47%
All Arizona Reservations
43%
Pima County
13%
Arizona
13%
United States
11%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau (2023). 2020 Decennial Census, Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC), Tables P14, PCT11.
Note: This table includes all children (under six years old) living in a household headed by a grandparent, regardless of whether the
grandparent is responsible for them, or whether the child’s parent lives in the same household.
44
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Figure 12. Percent of grandparents living with their grandchildren birth to age 17 and no parent
is present in the household, 2017-2021 ACS
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
14%
All Arizona Reservations
14%
Pima County
11%
Arizona
11%
United States
12%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Tables B10051, B10054, B10056, &
B10059
Table 7. Selected characteristics of grandparents who are responsible for one or more
grandchildren under 18 in their households, 2017-2021 ACS
Percent of these grandparents who:
Geography
Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Region
All Arizona
Reservations
Estimated number of
grandparents who live
with and are
responsible for
grandchildren under
18 years old
Do not
have the
child’s
parents in
Are 60
the years old
household
or older
Are female
Do not
speak
English
very well
In labor
force
Have an
income
below the
poverty
level
185
22%
57%
65%
N/A
37%
16%
5,828
30%
49%
67%
18%
44%
36%
Pima County
7,863
29%
50%
63%
22%
55%
21%
Arizona
56,079
33%
45%
62%
21%
57%
21%
2,319,443
38%
47%
63%
14%
56%
18%
United States
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Tables B10051, B10054, B10056,
B10058, & B10059
Note: Grandparents are considered responsible for their grandchild or grandchildren if they are “currently responsible for most of the
basic needs of any grandchildren under the age of 18” who live in the grandparent’s household. Reliable estimates for language use for
grandparents responsible for grandchildren were not available for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region due to wide margins of error.
Additional data tables related to Population Characteristics can be found in Appendix 1 of this report.
POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS 45
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES
46
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES
Why it Matters
A family’s economic stability impacts children’s well-being and predicts a variety of health outcomes. 92
Children who grow up in poverty and unstable economic conditions are more likely to face negative
effects on their cognitive, behavioral, social and emotional development compared to those in stable
economic environments. 93, 94, 95, 96, 97 The challenges they face may continue into adulthood, and such
difficulties can be passed on to the next generation. 98, 99, 100 Poverty also affects children by straining
parental well-being and parent-child interactions. Stressors related to poverty, like unemployment, food
and housing insecurity and poor mental and physical health, make it difficult for caregivers to provide
the necessary support for children's optimal development. 101 In light of these broad impacts, economic
stability is a key social determinant of health and is included as a domain in the Healthy People 2030
Objectives. iv
Economic circumstances in tribal communities have been shaped by a long history of inequitable
policies and federal investment. 102, 103 The resulting economic disparity between Native and non-Native
communities affects rates of employment, poverty, food security and housing stability. Especially since
the passing of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act in 1975, which gave tribes
greater autonomy in administering federally-funded programs and services, tribal governments have
invested in community and economic development opportunities such as health care, manufacturing,
forestry, fisheries, gaming and resorts to strengthen the economic conditions of their people. 104
What the Data Tell Us
Income and poverty
Poverty is associated with reduced access to nutrition, green space and health care and greater exposure
to psychosocial stress and environmental toxins, factors that can both directly and indirectly hinder
children's growth and brain development. 105, 106, 107 Children living in poverty are thus at a higher risk of
negative impacts including being born at a low birth weight, lower school achievement and poor
health. 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114 Economic hardship is included in some definitions of adverse childhood
experiences (ACEs) and children living in poverty experience other non-economic ACEs, such as
parental divorce or separation, exposure to violence, parental incarceration and living with someone
with mental illness or a substance use disorder, at higher rates than children in higher income
households. 115, 116 Given the many negative effects of poverty on child development, programs that
iv For more information on the Economic Stability Healthy People 2030 Objectives please see https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-
and-data/browse-objectives/economic-stability
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES 47
alleviate poverty through providing cash assistance or food, housing or health care assistance can
improve child well-being. 117
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Cash Assistance Program (TANF) v provides temporary
cash benefits and supportive services to children and families. Eligibility is based on citizenship or
qualified resident status, Arizona residency and limits on resources and monthly income. 118 In
recognition of tribal sovereignty, federally recognized tribes have the option to administer their own
TANF programs.
How the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region is faring
•
Across all household types for which data are available, the median family income for all
families with children (birth to age 17) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region ($32,200) is less than
half that in the county ($69,000) and state levels ($75,100). Married couple families with
children in the region have the highest median annual income ($44,800) of all family types,
which is less than half of that seen statewide ($100,000). The notably lower median annual
income of single-male-headed families with children ($30,600) and single-female-headed
families with children ($22,000) in the region points to the additional financial stress experienced
by the single-parent-led households in the region (Figure 13).
•
Almost one-third (31%) of the overall population and more than half (53%) of young children
(birth to age 5) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region live in poverty, which is more than twice the
poverty rates for Pima County (15% and 22%, respectively) and Arizona as a whole (13% and
20%, respectively) (Figure 14).
•
According to American Community Survey five-year estimates, rates of poverty among young
children in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region have decreased slightly (-2%) in recent years, from
55% in 2012-2016 to 53% in 2017-2021. Poverty rates declined much more across all Arizona
reservations (-6%), Pima County (-8%), Arizona (-8%) and the U.S. (-6%) during the same time
period (Figure 15).
•
The majority (72%) of young children in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region live in households with
incomes under 185% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), a commonly used threshold for social
safety net benefits such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and
Children (WIC) and reduced-price school meals. In 2021, the 185% FPL threshold for a family
of two adults and two children was $50,836; for a single parent with one child, it was $34,552
(Figure 16).
•
Over half (53%) of young children live below 100% FPL, which is a slightly larger portion than
in all Arizona reservations (49%) and a much larger portion than Pima County (22%). However,
the proportion of young children in the region that live in “deep poverty” (defined as below 50%
v For more information see: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/programs/temporary-assistance-needy-families-tanf and https://des.az.gov/ca
48
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
FPL) is closer to Pima County (11%) and the state as a whole (9%) than all Arizona reservations
(27%) (Figure 16). Though income is one important way to measure whether families can meet
their basic needs, in Native communities, subsistence-based activities such as hunting, gathering,
farming and ranching are important cultural practices that can also meet families’ basic needs
and are not captured in standard poverty measures. 119 While the Pascua Yaqui Tribe reservation
is located in an urban area, there are some families that have home gardens, and the Tribe has a
ranch with horses and a garden with programming for youth and other community members.
•
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe is one of six tribes in Arizona that operate a Tribal TANF program (PYYOEME). In state fiscal year 2022 (SFY 22), an estimated 19% of families with young children
(birth to age 5) and the same proportion of young children in the region (19%) participated in
TANF. These participation rates are notably higher than those seen at the county (both 5%) and
state level (both 3%) (Table 8 & Table 9). The number of families participating fluctuated from a
high of 64 families and 99 children in SFY 2019 to a low of 43 families and 65 children in SFY
2022 (Figure 17).
Figure 13. Median family income for families with children birth to age 17, 2017-2021 ACS
$97,500 $100,000
$75,100
$69,000
$44,800
$32,200
$42,800
$49,100
$30,600
All families with children Married couple families with
children
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
$22,000
Single-male-headed
families with children
Pima County
$31,300
$35,000
Single-female-headed
families with children
Arizona
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Table B19126
Note: Half of the families in the population are estimated to have annual incomes above the median value, and the other half have
incomes below the median. The median family income for all families includes families without children birth to age 17. A reliable
estimate of median income for single-female-headed households was not available from the ACS due to sample size limitations. Note that
median income estimates are not available for All Arizona Reservations.
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES 49
Figure 14. Rates of poverty for persons of all ages and for children birth to age 5, 2017-2021
ACS
53%
48%
37%
31%
15%
Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Region
All Arizona
Reservations
22%
Pima County
Total population
13%
20%
Arizona
13%
18%
United States
Children birth to age 5
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2020). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Table B17001
Note: This graph includes only persons whose poverty status can be determined. Adults who live in group settings such as dormitories or
institutions are not included. Children who live with unrelated persons are not included. In 2021, the poverty threshold for a family of
two adults and two children was $27,479; for a single parent with one child, it was $18,677.
Figure 15. Rates of poverty for children birth to age 5, 2012-2016 and 2017-2021 ACS
55%
54%
53%
48%
30%
28%
22%
Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Region
All Arizona
Reservations
Pima County
2012-2016
20%
Arizona
24%
18%
United States
2017-2021
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Table B17001. U.S. Census Bureau.
(2017). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2012-2016, Table B17001.
Note: This graph includes only persons whose poverty status can be determined. Adults who live in group settings such as dormitories or
institutions are not included. Children who live with unrelated persons are not included. In 2021, the poverty threshold for a family of
two adults and two children was $27,479; for a single parent with one child, it was $18,677.
50
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Figure 16. Children birth to age 5 living at selected poverty thresholds, 2017-2021 ACS
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
13%
40%
27%
All Arizona Reservations
Pima County
11%
Arizona
9%
11%
United States
9%
10%
Under 50% poverty
19%
22%
11%
22%
30%
58%
20%
61%
19%
16%
50% to 90% poverty
28%
65%
100% to 184% poverty
185% poverty and above
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Table B17024
Note: The four percentages in each bar should sum to 100%, but may not because of rounding. In 2021, the poverty threshold for a
family of two adults and two children was $27,479; for a single parent with one child, it was $18,677. The 185% thresholds are $50,836
and $34,552, respectively.
Figure 17. Number of children birth to age 5 and households with children birth to age 5
participating in TANF, state fiscal years 2018 to 2022
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
98
99
Arizona
14,659
93
13,029
79
13,747
13,654
13,592
9,947
9,881
9,884
65
54 to 62
10,538
64
47 to 55
51
9,360
43
SFY 2018 SFY 2019 SFY 2020 SFY 2021 SFY 2022
SFY 2018 SFY 2019 SFY 2020 SFY 2021 SFY 2022
Families with children (ages 0-5)
participating in TANF
Families with children (ages 0-5)
participating in TANF
Children (ages 0-5) participating in TANF
Children (ages 0-5) participating in TANF
Sources: Arizona Department of Economic Security (2023). [Division of Benefits and Medical Eligibility dataset]. Unpublished data.
Note: A range is provided when the true number is not known due to data suppression of a value between 1 and 9. The actual number of
families receiving TANF is somewhere within that range.
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES 51
Table 8. Families with children birth to age 5 receiving TANF, state fiscal years 2018 to 2022
SFY 2018
SFY 2019
SFY 2020
SFY 2021
SFY 2022
Percent of
households with
young children
(ages 0-5)
participating in
TANF in SFY 2022
227
54 to 62
64
47 to 55
51
43
19%
Pima County
45,676
2,531
2,214
2,445
2,480
2,336
5%
Arizona
345,601
10,538
9,360
9,947
9,881
9,884
3%
Geography
Pascua Yaqui
Tribe Region
Number of
households
with one or
more children
(ages 0-5)
Number of families with children (ages 0-5) participating in TANF
Sources: Arizona Department of Economic Security (2023). [Division of Benefits and Medical Eligibility dataset]. Unpublished data. &
U.S. Census Bureau (2023). 2020 Decennial Census, DHC, Table P14 & P20.
Note: A range is provided when the true number is not known due to data suppression of a value between 1 and 9. The actual number of
families receiving TANF is somewhere within that range.
Table 9. Children birth to age 5 receiving TANF, state fiscal years 2018 to 2022
SFY 2018
SFY 2019
SFY 2020
SFY 2021
SFY 2022
Percent of young
children (ages 0-5)
participating in
TANF in SFY 2022
336
98
99
93
79
65
19%
Pima County
62,466
3,529
3,019
3,289
3,332
3,140
5%
Arizona
480,744
14,659
13,029
13,747
13,654
13,592
3%
Geography
Pascua Yaqui
Tribe Region
Number of
young children
(ages 0-5) in
the population
Number of young children (ages 0-5) participating in TANF
Sources: Arizona Department of Economic Security (2023). [Division of Benefits and Medical Eligibility dataset]. Unpublished data. &
U.S. Census Bureau (2023). 2020 Decennial Census, DHC, Table P14 & P20.
Food security
Many families struggle with consistent access to “enough food for an active, healthy life,” a problem
known as food insecurity. 120 Food insecurity is linked with many aspects of child and parent well-being;
it can be a major source of stress for parents and has been linked to health and behavioral problems for
children, such as poorer parent-child attachment, decreased social skills and self-control and increased
risk of depression. 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP; also referred to as “nutrition assistance” and
“food stamps”), vi is administered by the Arizona Department of Economic Security and aims to support
working families who are unable to afford the food necessary to sustain their health with their income
alone. Nationally, about one in every five children participates in SNAP, and families on average receive
a benefit of up to $2.61 per person for each meal. 127 The SNAP program has been shown to reduce
hunger and improve access to healthy food options among those who utilize it. 128
vi For more information see: https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/supplemental-nutrition-assistance-program and https://des.az.gov/na
52
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) vii is a federally
funded program administered by the Arizona Department of Health Services aimed to support
economically disadvantaged women who are pregnant, postpartum and/or breastfeeding, along with
infants and young children. The program’s services include directing participants to health services,
nutrition and breastfeeding education and supplemental funding for food. In Arizona, WIC provided an
average monthly benefit of $42 per month in 2022, lower than the national average of $48 per month. 129
The WIC program is administered in the state of Arizona by the Arizona Department of Health Services
(ADHS) as well as the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) for 20 tribal nations in the state.
School meals provide another important nutritional safety net for children and their families. The
National School Lunch Program (NSLP), administered by the Arizona Department of Education (ADE)
and funded by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), provides meals for students of lowincome families at a reduced price. The Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) viii, also funded by the
USDA and administered by ADE, works to keep all children birth to age 18 fed when school is out of
session by providing free meals (breakfast, lunch, supper) and snacks at community sites. SFSP unites
community sponsors like camps, faith-based organizations and schools with sites like parks, libraries,
community centers and apartment complexes in high-need areas to distribute food. 130 In March 2020, in
response to school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the USDA issued waivers allowing yearround operation of the (SFSP) to serve meals to children of all ages engaging in remote learning; these
waivers remained in effect through June 2022 and led to increased meal service through SFSP compared
to NSLP for many schools. 131 The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), ix also funded by the
USDA, gives reimbursements to participating child care centers, preschools, emergency centers and
after-school programs for nutritious meals and snacks served to eligible children. Eligible providers
include for-profit child care centers serving at least 25% free or reduced-price lunch participants or any
non-profit program. 132
How the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region is faring
•
Since state fiscal year 2018 (SFY 2018), SNAP participation among young children (birth to age 5)
and families with young children in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region has declined steadily from 374
in SFY 2018 to 245 in SFY 2022 (Figure 18).
•
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe WIC program is administered by the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona.
According to the 2022 FTF Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Needs and Assets Report, the Pascua
Yaqui Tribe WIC program serves both tribal and non-tribal members in Pima County, and key
informants estimated that about half the participants in the program were members or relatives of
members of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. 133
vii For more information see:
https://www.fns.usda.gov/wic and https://www.azdhs.gov/prevention/azwic/
viii For more information see: https://www.azed.gov/hns/sfsp
ix For more information see: https://www.azed.gov/hns/cacfp
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES 53
•
In 2020, a total of 963 individuals were enrolled in the program, including 232 women (24% of WIC
participants), 271 infants (28%) and 460 children (ages 2-4; 48%) (Table 10). WIC participation
rates were higher in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe WIC program than across all ITCA WIC programs for
all eligible groups, meaning that the percent of women (97%), infants (97%) and children (93%)
who were actively receiving benefits during the calendar year was slightly higher in the region
(Figure 20). From 2017 to 2020, the total number of children birth to age 4 enrolled in WIC declined
steadily in both the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region and Arizona (Figure 19).
•
From 2019-20 to 2021-22, the total number of school lunches served through school nutrition
programs in the region stayed relatively stable (20,659 and 20,430, respectively), even while
fluctuating by program. Lunches served through CACFP declined from 12,229 in 2019-20 to 9,056
in 2021-22. Conversely, lunches served through NSLP increased by 1,267 (from 5,510 to 6,777) and
SFSP increased 1,677 (from 2,920 to 4,597) (Figure 21). The increase in meals served through SFSP
was likely due to USDA waivers that allowed for greater flexibility in meal service through SFSP
year-round.
Figure 18. Number of children birth to age 5 and households with children birth to age 5
participating in SNAP, state fiscal years 2018 to 2022
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
374
236
353
227
Arizona
229,275
318
205
275
198,961
194,771
190,968
132,466
131,063
128,460
245
151,816
191
211,814
140,056
162
SFY 2018 SFY 2019 SFY 2020 SFY 2021 SFY 2022
SFY 2018 SFY 2019 SFY 2020 SFY 2021 SFY 2022
Families with children (ages 0-5)
participating in SNAP
Families with children (ages 0-5)
participating in SNAP
Children (ages 0-5) participating in SNAP
Children (ages 0-5) participating in SNAP
Sources: Arizona Department of Economic Security (2023). [Division of Benefits and Medical Eligibility dataset]. Unpublished data.
54
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Table 10. Enrollment in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe WIC program, 2020
Geography
Women Enrolled
Infants Enrolled
Children Enrolled
Total Enrolled
232
271
460
963
2,865
3,095
6,247
12,207
Pascua Yaqui Tribe
All ITCA WIC programs
Source: First Things First (2022). Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council 2022 Needs and Assets Report. Retrieved on
Dec 1, 2023 from
Figure 19. Number of children birth to age 4 enrolled in WIC, 2017 to 2020
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Arizona
12,801
1,038
953
11,897
10,870
9,342
869
731
2017
2018
2019
2020
2017
2018
2019
2020
Source: First Things First (2022). Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council 2022 Needs and Assets Report. Retrieved on Dec 1,
2023 from https://files.firstthingsfirst.org/regions/Publications/PYT%202022%20Regional%20Needs%20and%20Assets%20Report.pdf
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES 55
Figure 20. Participation rates in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe WIC program, 2020
95%
97%
92%
Total
91%
Women
Pascua Yaqui Tribe
97%
96%
93%
90%
Children
Infants
All ITCA WIC programs
Source: First Things First (2022). Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Partnership Council 2022 Needs and Assets Report. Retrieved on Dec 1,
2023 from https://files.firstthingsfirst.org/regions/Publications/PYT%202022%20Regional%20Needs%20and%20Assets%20Report.pdf
Figure 21. Trends in lunches served through school nutrition programs, 2019-20 to 2021-22
148,207,987
130,780,150
12,229
10,271
101,727,112
101,727,113
101,727,114
9,056
5,510
2,920
2019-20
NSLP
7,204
6,777
3,788
4,597
2020-21
2021-22
SFSP
CACFP
21,786,393
15,670,983
16,301,626
2020-21
2021-22
SFSP
CACFP
5,556,341
2019-20
NSLP
Source: Arizona Department of Education (2023). [Health and Nutrition Dataset]. Custom tabulation of unpublished data by the
UArizona CRED Team.
Note: Hiaki High School served lunches through NSLP in 2019-20 and 2021-22. The Pascua Yaqui Boys & Girls Clubhouse served
lunches through SFSP in 2019-20 and both NSLP and SFSP in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Pascua Yaqui Head Start (Ili Uusim
Mahtawa’apo) served lunches through CACFP in all three years and also served lunches through SFSP at both the Head Start center
and through a home delivery route in 2019-20. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the USDA issued a substantial number of waivers for
school nutrition programs to allow greater flexibility for schools to get meals to students in need. More information on the pandemic’s
effect on school nutrition can be found on the ADE website: https://www.azed.gov/hns/covid19
56
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Table 11. Lunches served through CACFP, 2019-20 to 2021-22
Number of sites
Geography
Pascua Yaqui Head Start (Ili Uusim
Mahtawa’apo)
Number of lunches served
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
2019-20
2020-21
2021-22
1
1
1
12,229
10,271
9,056
Pima County Schools
N/A
126
124
1,163,587
3,546,649
3,697,801
Arizona Schools
N/A
715
643
5,556,341
15,670,983 16,301,626
Source: Arizona Department of Education (2023). [Health and Nutrition Dataset]. Custom tabulation of unpublished data by the
UArizona CRED Team.
Employment
Unemployment and underemployment x can impact families in ways that affect children’s health and
well-being. 134 Unemployment can limit access to resources that support children’s physical and mental
health, like health insurance, and can also contribute to family stress, conflict, homelessness and child
abuse. 135, 136 Children with parents who have lost their jobs may also experience poorer school
performance and behavioral issues, resulting in grade repetition, suspension or expulsion. 137 Due to
many historical and legal reasons as well as differences in practical economic structures, employment
rates in Native communities can vary greatly from state rates. 138
Education and employment support programs for parents and caregivers are important for increasing
wages and improving the economic stability of families. “Two-generation” or “2Gen” approaches
address the needs of both parents and children simultaneously through programs to support children and
families together, such as a family literacy program that provides educational support to parents while
enrolling children in free high-quality preschool. 139, 140, 141 These programs have the goal of decreasing
the intergenerational effects of poverty by building parental capacity and protective factors within
families. 142, 143, 144
How the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region is faring
•
The unemployment rate is the proportion of the total number of people in the civilian labor force
who are unemployed and looking for work. Unemployment rates do not include people who have
dropped out of the labor force entirely, including those who wanted to work but could not find a
suitable job and have stopped looking for employment. 145 The ACS estimates that the average
unemployment rate for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region between 2017 and 2021 was 8%. This is
higher than the unemployment rate for Pima County and Arizona as a whole (both 6%) but
substantially lower than all Arizona reservations (14%) (Figure 22 & Table 12).
x Underemployment means that someone works fewer hours than they would like or is in a job that does not require the skills or training
that they have.
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES 57
•
An additional metric of employment is the labor-force participation rate. This rate is the fraction
of the population who are in the labor force, whether employed or unemployed. The labor force
participation rate in the region (58%) is higher than that seen across all Arizona reservations
(45%) and similar to Pima County (59%). This means that just over half of working-age teens
and adults in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region are working (54%) or actively looking for work
(4%), while the remaining 42% are not (which includes students, retirees, stay-at-home parents
and others) (Figure 22 & Table 12).
•
While unemployment rates showed a steady decline statewide since the end of the Great
Recession in 2009, this pattern changed in 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In
recent years, unemployment rates for Pima County have been aligned with the state overall,
peaking at 7.6% in 2020 and decreasing to 3.8% in 2022 (Figure 23).
•
About three-quarters (76%) of young children (birth to age 5) in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
live in a household where at least one parent is in the labor force, compared to 63% of young
children across all Arizona reservations and 90% of young children in Pima County. Most of
these children (71%) live with one parent who is in the workforce, indicating they likely require
some form of child care (Figure 24).
Figure 22. Unemployment and labor-force participation for the adult population (ages 16 and
older), 2017-2021 ACS
64%
61%
59%
58%
45%
8%
Pascua Yaqui Tribe
Region
14%
All Arizona
Reservations
6%
6%
Pima County
Arizona
Unemployment rate
5%
United States
Labor-force participation rate
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Table B23025
Note: The labor force is all persons who are working (employed) or looking for work (unemployed). Persons not in the labor force are
mostly students, stay-at-home parents, retirees, and institutionalized people. The "labor force participation rate" is the fraction of the
population who are in the labor force, whether employed or unemployed. The "unemployment rate" is the fraction of the civilian labor
force which are unemployed.
58
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Table 12. Unemployment and labor-force participation for the adult population (ages 16 and
older), 2017-2021 ACS
Geography
Pascua Yaqui
Tribe Region
All Arizona
Reservations
Pima County
Arizona
United States
Estimated
working-age
population (age
16 and older)
Unemployment
rate
2,637
8%
58%
132,731
14%
843,701
Labor-force In the labor
participation
force and
rate
employed
In the labor
force but
unemployed
In
armed
forces
Not in the
labor force
54%
4%
0.0%
42%
45%
39%
6%
0.0%
55%
6%
59%
54%
4%
0.9%
41%
5,650,624
6%
61%
57%
3%
0.4%
39%
264,087,642
5%
64%
60%
3%
0.5%
36%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Table B23025
Note: The labor force is all persons who are working (employed) or looking for work (unemployed). Persons not in the labor force are
mostly students, stay-at-home parents, retirees, and institutionalized people. The "labor force participation rate" is the fraction of the
population who are in the labor force, whether employed or unemployed. The "unemployment rate" is the fraction of the civilian labor
force which are unemployed. The last four percentages in each row (employed, unemployed, in armed forces, and not in the labor force)
should sum to 100% but may not because of rounding.
Figure 23. Average annual unemployment rates (not seasonally adjusted), 2017 to 2022
7.8%
7.6%
5.0%
4.6%
CY 2017
4.8%
4.8%
4.4%
4.5%
CY 2018
CY 2019
Pima County
5.1%
5.1%
3.8%
3.8%
CY 2020
CY 2021
CY 2022
Arizona
Source: Arizona Commerce Authority (2023), Office of Economic Opportunity, Local Area Unemployment Survey (LAUS)
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES 59
Figure 24. Parents of children birth to age 5 who are or are not in the labor force, 2017-2021
ACS
71%
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region 5%
All Arizona Reservations
11%
14%
3%
25%
38%
35%
Pima County
36%
24%
Arizona
33%
27%
United States
40%
1%
1%
25%
30%
9%
30%
8%
1%
26%
7%
Living with two married parents, both in the labor force
Living with two married parents, one in the labor force and one not
Living with two married parents, neither in the labor force
Living with one parent, in the labor force
Living with one parent, not in the labor force
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Community Survey five-year estimates 2017-2021, Table B23025
Note: The labor force is all persons who are working (employed) or looking for work (unemployed). Persons not in the labor force are
mostly students, stay-at-home parents, retirees, and institutionalized people. The term "parent" here includes step-parents. The five
percentages in each row should sum to 100%, but may not because of rounding. Please note that due to the way the ACS asks about
family relationships, children living with two unmarried, cohabitating parents are not counted as living with two parents (these children
are counted in the ‘one parent’ category).
Housing instability and internet access
Housing instability can have harmful effects on the development of young children. High housing costs
relative to family income are associated with increased risk for overcrowding, frequent moving, poor
nutrition, declines in mental health and homelessness. 146, 147, 148 High relative housing costs leave
inadequate funds for other necessities, such as food and utilities. 149 This can negatively affect the
physical, social-emotional and cognitive development of children, with severe forms of housing
instability associated with poorer performance in school. 150, 151
In Native nations, land- and homeownership differs legally from other parts of the state. Native nations
have experienced periods of forced relocation and assimilation as well as complex and changing policies
of land ownership that have significantly reduced the total amount of land under tribal governance as
well as the resources on these lands. 152 Tribal housing authorities have worked to build affordable
housing options for their people, however housing availability is typically limited by funding and other
critical infrastructure issues. 153 The most common housing challenges on tribal lands include
overcrowding and physical housing problems such as insufficient kitchen, plumbing, electrical, heating
and cooling utilities. 154 A nationwide study found that Native households are 19 times more likely to
lack indoor plumbing than White households, meaning that access to safe and reliable drinking water is
a major concern for many families. 155
60
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Another increasingly important utility in homes is reliable internet access. Access to broadband (highspeed) internet enables quick access to a far greater number of resources and information, telehealth
options and other opportunities that can be critical for education and employment. Internet access has
been deemed a “super determinant” of health because of its influence on more traditional social
determinants of health such as education, employment, health care access and social connection. 156
Household access to computers and high-speed internet is also important for school-aged children who
may need this technology for school assignments and projects, particularly during the later years of
primary education and beyond. 157 Lack of access to reliable high-speed internet disproportionately
occurs in rural areas and pockets of segregated urban areas, and this disparate access is known as the
digital divide. Due to the importance of high-speed internet access, the federal government has instituted
several funding initiatives to improve access to and affordability of high-speed internet, including for
Native communities in particular, such as the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Project. xi, 158
How the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region is faring
•
Pascua Yaqui Tribe members often rent homes built by the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Housing
Department for a period of time until they are able to pay the full amount of the house. At that
point, ownership of the house is transferred to the family, while the land where the house is built
remains part of tribal reservation land. While the Housing Department has been building new
developments, xii community members indicate that housing availability is still a need in the
region.
•
Traditionally, housing is considered to be affordable for families if it costs less than 30% of
annual household income. 159 According to recent ACS estimates, just 19% of households in the
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region spent more than 30% of their income on housing, disproportionately
impacting renters (22%) over homeowners (9%) in the region. Housing cost burden is notably
lower in the region compared to Pima County (31%) and the state (29%), but higher than across
all Arizona reservations (13%) (Table 13).
•
The McKinney-Vento Act definition of homelessness includes children living in shelters,
transitional housing, campgrounds, motels, trailer parks and cars, as well as children whose
families are temporarily living within another family’s household. Data on the number of
students experiencing homelessness under the McKinney-Vento Act at Hiaki High School were
suppressed due to small numbers (i.e. fewer than 11). At off-reservation schools that serve
children from the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region, the number of students experiencing homelessness
more than tripled from 74 in 2020-21 to 240 in 2021-22, but these students still made up less
than 2% of the overall students enrolled (Table 14).
xi For more information, please see https://internetforall.gov/program/digital-equity-act-programs and https://www.ntia.gov/page/tribal-
broadband-connectivity-program
xii For more information, please see https://www.pythousing.com/main-development
ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES 61
•
According to data from Ili Uusim Mahtawa’apo Pascua Yaqui Head Start, 16% of children
enrolled in Program Year 2023 (PY23) qualified as homeless, 160 an increase from the 13% in
PY20 reported in the 2022 FTF Pascua Yaqui Tribe Regional Needs and Assets Report. 161
•
Almost three-quarters (72%) of households in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region have both a
computer (i.e., a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone) and broadband internet connectivity.
While this proportion is lower than Pima County (89%) and Arizona (88%), it is notably higher
than seen across all Arizona reservations (44%) (Table 15).
•
At the individual level, 82% of individuals in the Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region, including 88% of
children (birth to age 17), have access to both a computer and internet in their household. As
with household-level access, this is a smaller proportion than Pima County (92% and 95%,
respectively) and the state (90% and 92%, respectively), but much higher than across all Arizona
reservations (both 51%) (Figure 25 & Figure 26).
•
The Pascua Yaqui Tribe has its own telecommunications network, Pascua Yaqui Networks, and
provides internet access to families living in the region. xiii
Table 13. Households with housing costs of 30% or more of household income by home
ownership status, 2017-2021 ACS
Estimated
number of
households
Housing costs
30 percent or
more of
household
income
Estimated
number of
owneroccupied
housing
units
Housing
costs 30
percent or
more of
household
income
Estimated
number of
renteroccupied
housing
units
Housing
costs 30
percent or
more of
household
income
976
19%
253
9%
723
22%
All Arizona Reservations
52,248
13%
35,840
12%
16,408
16%
Pima County
417,483
31%
267,835
21%
149,648
48%
2,683,557
29%
1,765,658
21%
917,899
45%
124,010,992
30%
80,152,161
22%
43,858,831
46%
Geography
Pascua Yaqui Tribe Region
Arizona
United States
Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2022). American Co
This text is long and has been trimmed here. Open the source document for the complete record.
This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.