About Alex McCausland

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So far Alex McCausland has created 442 blog entries.
Jan 20 2022

Well-being of local children similar to state in most areas

2023-02-14T14:12:58-07:00Economic Security News Coverage, Education News Coverage, Health News Coverage, Kids Count News Coverage, News Coverage, Racial and Ethnic Equity News Coverage|

Roswell Daily Record--Amber Wallin, deputy director, said that Chaves County’s outcomes are often tied closely to the fortunes of the oil and gas industry. “Those are things like poverty rates, child abuse rates that are linked to that,” said Wallin. “We know when parents have steady wages and good steady income that is a good predictor of how children are doing.” She added that the pandemic had a dramatically different effect on people depending on their social circumstances.

Jan 20 2022

2021 Kids Count Data Book indicates positives but also continued challenges

2024-04-03T16:35:56-06:00Economic Security News Coverage, Education News Coverage, Human Rights/Civic Participation News Coverage, Kids Count News Coverage, News Coverage, Racial and Ethnic Equity News Coverage|

NM Political Report--Amber Wallin, executive director of NMVC, said New Mexico legislators should continue to enact legislation that will positively impact families and children, particularly families of color. “During this Legislative session we’re continuing to focus on public policy to provide robust safety net support, especially in direct economic assistance for families who need it the most, especially for low-income front line workers, refugee and immigrant families unable to access key forms of relief,” she said.

Jan 20 2022

A fair and equitable recovery starts with supporting women of color

2024-04-03T16:36:36-06:00Blog Posts, Economic Security Blog, Economic Security News Coverage, Health Blog, Health News Coverage, News Coverage, Racial and Ethnic Equity Blog, Racial and Ethnic Equity News Coverage|

New Mexico In Depth--In this legislative session, New Mexico Voices for Children will be asking lawmakers to put families with children first in policymaking. High on the list of policies that will help ensure a just recovery and equitable opportunities for all families are enacting a state-level CTC, with families facing the biggest economic challenges seeing the biggest benefits.

Jan 19 2022

NM Kids Count says pandemic undermined child well-being

2023-02-14T14:15:49-07:00Economic Security News Coverage, Education News Coverage, Health News Coverage, Kids Count News Coverage, News Coverage, Racial and Ethnic Equity News Coverage|

Albuquerque Journal--“If lawmakers continue putting kids and families first, we expect to see even more improvements, Wallin said. “However, in order to ensure an equitable recovery from the pandemic and recession, these policies must consider the unique barriers faced by our children, families, and communities of color.”

Jan 19 2022

Report: To Improve Child Well-being State Must Ensure an Equitable Recovery

2024-03-20T15:55:32-06:00Press Releases|

“Child well-being was steadily improving prior to the onset of the pandemic, and much of that was due to changes in public policies that made kids and working families a priority,” said Amber Wallin, executive director of NM Voices for Children. “If lawmakers continue putting kids and families first, we expect to see even more improvements. However, in order to ensure an equitable recovery from the pandemic and recession, these policies must consider the unique barriers faced by our children, families, and communities of color.”

Jan 19 2022

2021 New Mexico KIDS COUNT Data Book

2023-02-14T13:26:56-07:00Economic Security Publications, Education Publications, Health Publications, Kids Count Publications, Local Data, Publications|

NM KIDS COUNT Data Book Still in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic and recession, New Mexico’s child well-being wavers. This annual report provides data on numerous child well-being indicators housed under four domains (economic security, education, health, and family and community) and includes policy solutions for ensuring a more equitable recovery. Includes some pandemic-specific data from 2021. (State- county- tribal area- and school district-level data on child well-being.)

Jan 17 2022

Survey: Hispanic families are facing ‘extreme’ economic hardship in pandemic

2023-02-14T14:16:35-07:00Economic Security News Coverage, News Coverage, Racial and Ethnic Equity News Coverage|

Santa Fe New Mexican--The bilingual survey of 1,000 Hispanic adults, including nearly 250 immigrants, was conducted last month by polling firm BSP Research and commissioned by New Mexico Economic Relief Working Group, a coalition of organizations that includes children advocacy nonprofit New Mexico Voices for Children and the immigrant rights group Somos Un Pueblo Unido. The effort was a follow-up to a smaller survey conducted in 2020.

Jan 13 2022

Coalition urges NM to use federal funds for cash assistance

2023-02-14T14:17:41-07:00Economic Security News Coverage, News Coverage, Racial and Ethnic Equity News Coverage|

Albuquerque Journal--“This is very sobering data,” Sanchez said. The findings, he said, show “tough times for everybody across New Mexico, particularly rural Hispanic residents.” The survey was sponsored by a host of groups advocating for worker or immigrant rights, including Somos Un Pueblo Unido, El Centro de Igualdad y Derechos and New Mexico Voices for Children.

Jan 09 2022

Amber Wallin replaces James Jimenez to lead New Mexico Voices for Children

2024-04-03T16:37:29-06:00News Coverage|

NM Political Report--Wallin said the state’s recent investments in early childcare education are positive signs and she is hopeful that similar policies will continue in the future. She also said she believes New Mexico needs to continue to help families afford early childcare education. At the same time, she said that while early childcare is “really expensive for families,” early childcare workers are not “paid nearly enough for the work they’re doing” and some early childcare centers are “barely getting by.”

Jan 09 2022

Voices for Children chief committed to ‘improving opportunities’ for kids

2023-02-14T14:20:32-07:00News Coverage|

Albuquerque Journal--The programs that Wallin and Voices advocate for “depend on us passing good tax policy, and diversifying and raising revenue from a lot of different sources.” She noted that there is currently significant federal investment in the state, along with record setting revenue generated by the oil and gas industry. “But really, we need to diversify our economy and our revenues moving forward so that we always have the funding needed to support the programs that matter most for kids 20, 30 years into the future, when oil and gas is maybe not able to contribute the revenues that they do now,” she said.

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