New Mexico In Depth--“Unfortunately, children are not necessarily a topic of conversation when it comes to elections. People talk about jobs and the economy, which are all very important to child well-being, but there are other issues and we wanted to get some of those out there,” said Sharon Kayne, communications director for NM Voices.
Las Cruces Sun-News--Officials with New Mexico Voices for Children, which partners on the survey, point to a decline in state funding as the cause for many of these problems. Deputy Director Amber Wallin said the state has passed 37 tax cuts since 2008; has reduced per-pupil funding for schools and money for higher education; and has cut back on the number of school-based health centers.
Public News Service--"It's time for citizens to really push these candidates on what they're going to do to improve child well-being," he insisted. "There are a lot of solutions out there if we really believe children are our most important asset."
Santa Fe New Mexican--“The data says to me that the policy approach that we have taken over the last eight to 10 years has not been working,” said James Jimenez, executive director of the Albuquerque-based advocacy group New Mexico Voices for Children, which works closely with the Casey Foundation. “It says that we really don’t have much of a commitment to improving the lives of children,” Jimenez added.
NM Political Report--New Mexico Voices for Children and CHI St. Joseph’s Children, both of which were sponsors of Monday’s conference, have long pushed for using additional money from the land grant permanent fund to pay for early childhood education. Proposals for such often get held up in the Senate Finance Committee.
Santa Fe New Mexican--Monday’s conference was sponsored by New Mexico Voices for Children, an Albuquerque-based group that advocates for more funding and programs to help young children. The event took place just days before the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation plans to release its annual Kids Count report.
Public News Service--"Childcare is very expensive; it is more expensive than tuition at UNM,” says Kayne. “These are generally young parents who are starting out, and they simply don't have the kind of income that allows them to either have high-quality childcare, or have one parent stay home and take care of kids."
New Mexico In Depth--She said since NM Voices started pushing for the constitutional amendment, state funding for early childhood initiatives has expanded by 60 percent, “so there has been some significant improvement. It’s just taking a very long time. And you know, babies can’t wait to grow up.”
Associated Press--"To the opponents who say we need to protect the fund, I say what about protecting our kids," said Bill Jordan of New Mexico Voices for Children.
Las Cruces Sun-News--If you can find an investment with a higher rate of return, that has the added benefit of improving the state’s economy and quality of life for all, we’d love to hear about it.