Santa Fe New Mexican--New Mexico children remain worse off educationally and economically than their peers in just about every other state, according to the latest Kids Count report, an annual data analysis expected Tuesday. But the new state-by-state report card also shows New Mexico is making progress on improving children’s health, with more young people covered by insurance than the national average.
Albuquerque Journal--The 2017 Kids Count Data Book, which annually measures each state’s child and family well-being according to an index of key factors, gives New Mexico an overall ranking of 49th out of 50 states, unchanged from last year’s Data Book. There are, however, a few areas that have improved – though not by much.
Associated Press--Three Southwestern states are ranked near the bottom when it comes to child well-being, with New Mexico leading the way among its neighbors. The annual Kids Count report released Tuesday by the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranks New Mexico 49th, ahead of only Mississippi. Louisiana, Nevada and Arizona fill in the rest of the bottom five.
Las Cruces Sun-News--New Mexico ranks 49th in a yearly report, released Tuesday, that looks at overall child well-being. But there have been strides within some indicators. It's the fourth year in a row the state has ranked next-to-last, just in front of Mississippi. New Hampshire scored the best overall ranking in 2017. The 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book looks at 16 indicators of child well-being across four broad categories.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., —While New Mexico is stuck near the bottom in child well-being — ranking 49th out of the 50 states — there is some good news in the annual KIDS COUNT® Data Book, which was released today by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “We’ve seen really great improvements in measures of health and, as with last year, we can attribute much of that to the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act,” said New Mexico KIDS COUNT Director Amber Wallin.
NMPolitics.net--The proposed SNAP cuts equate to $120 million a year that won’t go to your local grocery stores and farmer’s markets. The lost Medicaid dollars won’t go to your doctor, the clinic where you get your health care, and the local hospital. When low-income families don’t get the SNAP and Medicaid benefits for which they qualify, they do without or choose expensive options like the emergency room. They don’t have extra money for emergencies.
Kansas just wrapped up a 5-year experiment in governance from which the other 49 states can now glean some important lessons. The Kansas Legislature has voted to roll back much of the 2012 package of tax cuts that sent the state into a downward spiral of financial instability and weakened the Kansas’ public schools, universities, Medicaid program, and virtually everything else that the state funds.
Associated Press--The number of low-income families tapping into government-funded child care assistance is steadily increasing in New Mexico, but state officials say two-thirds of those who are eligible have yet to enroll. Children, Youth and Families Secretary Monique Jacobson says her agency is working to raise awareness about the program as elected leaders look for more ways to tackle generational poverty issues.
Economists say it again and again: investments in higher education pay off. Unfortunately, Governor Susana Martinez’s decision to veto all funding for higher education—every penny—sent the wrong message to current and future college students worried about college costs as well as to businesses reticent of investing in a state that does not value education.
KOAT TV--New Mexico Voices for Children reports our state ranks highest in the nation when it comes to childhood poverty. Our community is coming together to fight childhood hunger, especially during the summer. Today children in Bernalillo and Sandoval counties can get free breakfast or lunch as part of the summer lunch program.