Tucson Electric Power Invests $100,000 in Scholarship Program through United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona

BizTUCSONOctober 21, 2026

3 minutes read

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona received a $100,000 donation from Tucson Electric Power for Supercharging PEEPs, a community effort to build on the success of Pima County’s “Pima Early Education Program Scholarships” and expand access to high-quality preschool education for more children and families.

The $100,000 investment, presented at the United Way’s Tucson offices, is the first corporate contribution to emerge from Supercharging PEEPs, an effort to bring business, philanthropy, government, education and early childhood leaders together around a shared question on how Pima County can build on the success of PEEPs to ensure more children have access to high-quality preschools.

Over the past year, community partners have participated in several convenings to better understand the current early childhood landscape, examine the gap between the number of children who need assistance and the resources currently available, and explore how public and private investments could work together to expand access.

The Center for Economic Integrity and Southern Arizona Leadership Council launched the effort with community convenings in May and October 2025 and continued through additional conversations and a regional leadership roundtable. Partners have included United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona, Pima County, The Preschool Promise, Education Forward Arizona and other organizations, along with leaders from the early childhood, business and philanthropic communities.

“We are deeply grateful to TEP for their longstanding partnership and for leading the way with this significant first corporate investment in Supercharging PEEPs,” said Vanecia Kerr, president and CEO of United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona.

“This milestone builds on Pima County’s pioneering work to expand equitable access to high-quality preschool and reflects a year of collaboration across our community,” she said. “United Way is proud to bring partners together through our broad community network, drawing on our early childhood expertise and direct work with families and educators. TEP’s commitment is an investment in our children and our community’s economic future, and we hope it inspires more businesses and philanthropies to join this shared effort.”

Created by the Pima County Board of Supervisors in 2021, PEEPs helps income-eligible families access high-quality preschool through school district preschool classes, Quality First scholarships, and extended-day Head Start programming. In FY2025–26, 1,489 children were directly served through PEEPs. When PEEPs is combined with other public preschool investments, including DES childcare assistance, First Things First Quality First Scholarships, and Head Start, 4,939 children were served—approximately 38% of the estimated 13,032 children in Pima County who met the income eligibility criteria.

The community has also made progress in increasing the supply of high-quality early learning opportunities. The number of high-quality providers in Pima County grew from 199 in 2021 to 316 in 2026, helping create more opportunities for families to use available preschool assistance.

“Strong communities begin with strong opportunities for young learners and that’s why TEP is honored to partner with United Way and Pima County in an effort that helps more children get the strong start they deserve,” said TEP CEO Susan Gray. “When children have the support they need early in life, they are better prepared to learn, grow and achieve their potential.”

TEP’s contribution to support Supercharging PEEPs is funded with company resources and not customers’ rates.

United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona has played a central role in the Supercharging PEEPs effort by serving as an early childhood convener and connector. United Way brings together partners from across the early childhood continuum, including early educators, childcare providers, schools, family support organizations, government agencies, philanthropy, and business, to identify shared challenges, connect resources and create opportunities for collective action.

That role builds on United Way’s broader early childhood work. Through First Focus on Kids, United Way convenes organizations working across early childhood education, family support, home visitation, Family Resource Centers, and early literacy. United Way also leads Accelerate Quality, a partnership with Pima County that helps early childhood providers increase their capacity and quality.

The first corporate gift is intended to be a catalyst for additional private-sector engagement. Community leaders envision a future in which businesses and philanthropies join public investments in PEEPs to help close the remaining access gap and strengthen the early childhood infrastructure needed to serve more children. The investment also reflects a growing understanding that early childhood education is a community issue, not simply an issue for parents, schools, or childcare providers.

High-quality early education helps children enter school prepared to learn, supports parents’ ability to work and pursue education, and contributes to a stronger workforce and economy. Expanding access requires the participation of multiple sectors.