By Mark K. Shriver, Santa Fe New Mexican
Mar. 6, 2019
In our politically polarized world, we should be encouraged when policy progress is made for kids. And that is exactly what is happening in states across the country, where Republican and Democratic governors are implementing policies to increase access to high-quality early education and child care.
Right here in New Mexico, young children and their families are fortunate that new Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has already designated $60 million to New Mexico’s preschool program in her proposed budget. These resources were allocated as a down payment on the goal of breaking the pervasive cycle of poverty by achieving 80 percent statewide enrollment over the next five years.
Despite rapid economic growth in 2018, a report from New Mexico Voices for Children found that the number of New Mexico children living in poverty is actually increasing — nearly 1 in 3 kids is being raised at or below the poverty line. Thankfully, there are solutions capable of breaking this cycle and setting New Mexico on a path toward giving every child an equal opportunity to succeed.
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