Washington Post--Child-care advocates in New Mexico have tried for more than a decade to secure this money. The fight began in 2011, when a group called New Mexico Voices for Children proposed tapping into the state’s Land Grant Permanent Fund to pay for early child care and education programs.
Early Learning Nation--“If we want to continue this incredible progress,” said Amber Wallin, executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children, the money is the way to do it. “It means we can continue things just like that.” Lujan Grisham herself has said she wants to use money from the fund to make universal, free child care permanent.
NM Political Report--“In a very concrete way by improving teacher salaries and resources for all the wrap-around services, this amendment will help support and it’s a really important step forward in a bigger sense because New Mexico voters are showing up for teachers and communities,” Wallin told NM Political Report.
New Mexico In Depth--Although these are separate data points — deaths with underlying conditions, versus mortality rates by race and ethnicity — they are “absolutely connected,” said Emily Wildau, research and policy analyst at New Mexico Voices for Children.
Policy Brief In order to build a strong economy, New Mexico must be able to reliably fund the services - like education, health care, and public safety - that our families and businesses rely on. Our over-reliance on revenue from the boom-or-bust oil industry makes that impossible. Here are the top 5 reasons we must change. (State data on revenues and expenditures)
KOAT TV--"Constitution Amendment #1 will be a real game changer for our state. For too long, we have ranked really low in many measures of child well-being," Vigil said.
Source NM--Amber Wallin, executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children, said issues in education funding go beyond any one election, and officials and New Mexicans need to think about how they can best set up future generations. “We have massive needs in our state and in our schools, in our families that are really generational problems to solve. They’re not election-cycle problems to solve.”
NM Political Report--“We know learning begins at birth. Why not expand the idea of education from kindergarten down to birth? And use the Land Grant Permanent Fund as the source of funding for early childcare funding? That was the original intent,” he said.
Carlsbad Current Argus--“With new federal funds available to state and local leaders, New Mexico has an exciting opportunity to invest in the health and well-being of our children, our climate, and our economy,” Wallin said.
We all benefit when college is affordable enough that anyone can attend, and all New Mexicans should have the opportunity to further their education and careers. College graduates become the teachers, doctors, engineers, and other professionals that serve us and our communities.