New Mexico Voices For Children
Improving children’s lives through advocacy
The future of our society is in our children’s hands. When all children have the opportunities they need to thrive, we all benefit, so it makes sense to ensure that every child has access to the educational, emotional, health, and economic supports they need to grow up healthy and strong, and to become contributing members of society. We believe that the best way to ensure this is to discover the underlying reasons that some children lack these supports and then to advocate for the public policies that will address the gaps. Learn more about our work to accomplish that here.
Sign up to receive e-mail alerts
Recent Blog Posts
State agencies (still) need a culture shift, and fast!
Prior to the ACA, the Human Services Department (HSD) played the role of gatekeeper for the programs they administered, such as Medicaid. Instead of working hard to enroll everyone who was eligible, they seemed to view their job as making sure that as few people got enrolled as possible – even though they were eligible.
Fighting the Current: Why New Mexicans need a Higher Minimum Wage
A minimum wage increase is long overdue – it hasn’t been raised in almost a decade. As prices increase, purchasing power erodes, and families find themselves sinking deeper into dire straits. Our $7.50 minimum wage is now worth just $6.30.
Ruling in K-12 funding lawsuit is movement in right direction
Given the many challenges faced by our children, New Mexico should be making whatever investments are necessary to ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive and achieve success. Instead, over the last decade New Mexico has made some of the deepest cuts to K-12 education in the country. While some funding was restored during the 2018 legislative session, we are still far behind where we should be on a per-student, inflation-adjusted basis.
Recent News Coverage
New Mexico leaders, industry must step up
For instance, if this methane waste and the associated state tax and royalty revenue was captured, the state could increase pre-K enrollment by 50 percent and allow 5,000 more New Mexico kids access to quality early childhood education, according to education advocates New Mexico Voices for Children.
Kids need leaders
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s decision to gut the Bureau of Land Management methane waste rule means our state will lose out on millions of dollars in royalty revenue that is desperately needed to fund our schools. It makes no sense to waste our resources and tax dollars, especially when it puts our kids’ education on the line. New Mexico’s kids need leaders who will stand up to waste and defend their right to a good education.
Report: Young NM Parents Need Support to Thrive
Amber Wallin, deputy director of New Mexico Voices for Children, says the 50-state report shows the national average of young parents is 10 percent, but in New Mexico, it's 16 percent. "Those young people are facing the same challenges that all young people are facing, things like finishing high school or maybe going into college, getting their first jobs, learning how to manage money and increase their earning potential," she points out. Her organization, which includes New Mexico Kids Count, maintains one way to improve outcomes for young parent families is to increase home-visiting programs and coaching for first-time parents.
Make an impact
