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.
Albuquerque Journal--“While the bright spots are encouraging, we cannot lose sight of the fact that the state is failing Black children in many ways,” said James Jimenez, executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children, in a statement. “This report provides us a research-based focus on how we better support Black children and families in New Mexico.”
Gallup Independent--Like Bill Jordan, senior policy adviser for New Mexico Voices, said, “It’s all about fostering local connections and finding out what’s working, what’s not working, and helping to make changes.”
Gallup Sun--“The Kids Count data is a resource to tell you how your kids are doing,” Jordan said. He said data filters, like looking at statistics by school districts, are easily plugged into data searches to fit various statistical needs. The goal is to get the most accurate data possible, he said. Participants included families—many with children—community organizers, and professionals in the health care industry. Supper was served while discussions took place.
Las Cruces Sun-News--New Mexico continues to struggle when it comes to improving child well-being, and Doña Ana County isn’t faring well either. New Mexico was ranked as the second-worst state in child welfare, according to the 2017 New Mexico Kids Count Data book, a nationwide effort to track the status and well-being of children across the nation and in each state in four areas: economy, education, health, and family and community.
Searchlight NM--New Mexico Voices for Children, a nonprofit advocacy group, conducted a study last year to show exactly what it would take to move the needle. Because of the state’s relatively small population — New Mexico ranks 36th with just over 2 million residents in 2017 Census estimates — on some key indicators it wouldn’t take much.