Enough is enough. New Mexico is and has been at the bottom of every national measure of child well-being and educational achievement for years. Too often we read reports about the needs and underachievement of the child care and educational system in our state (“Study: N.M. has nation’s worst high school grad rate,” May 11, and “Hope comes from home visits,” My View, April 17).
Libraries in Aztec, Bloomfield and Farmington, along with those throughout the rest of the state, are sponsoring summer reading challenges to engage students in activities and improve their reading skills.
Because poverty has multiple causes and tends to be generational, we must address it by meeting the needs of the family as a whole. This is called a two-generation approach, and it does more than ensure that children are fed and safe. It also gives parents the tools they need to better their own situations—whether that means access to job training and further education or health care to deal with substance abuse problems or chronic illness.
A new report on early childhood education lauds New Mexico, a state that regularly ranks at the bottom of national surveys on child well-being, for increasing its investments in pre-kindergarten programs and increasing its pre-K enrollment.
New Mexico is moving forward with a broad range of cuts in reimbursements to hospitals, physicians, dentists and other providers who serve Medicaid patients across the state. The cuts would take some $30 million in state money out of the insurance program that serves 761,000 New Mexicans, but that would be amplified with the loss of federal matching money...
The notion of all of New Mexico pulling together to help children is worthwhile. Now, there’s a state-run campaign to do that by raising awareness of how to prevent child abuse. The campaign has a catchy name — Pull Together. It’s an effort to bring attention to the dismal reality so many of the state’s children face every day. But let’s not confuse style with substance.
In a pep rally-type setting, complete with a jazz band and cheering students, the state’s new PullTogether program was unveiled Monday in the Performing Arts Center at Rio Rancho High School. In a separate and somewhat dueling news conference, Archbishop of Santa Fe John C. Wester said he wants state leaders to do more than “sing a jingle,” and to find new revenue sources to pay for programs such as state-assisted child care and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or food stamps.
A state agency tasked with protecting New Mexico children launched a campaign Monday with a new website and meetings around the state aimed at getting more parents involved in fighting child abuse.
Considering statistics say one in every five New Mexico families lives in poverty, it’s possible to wrap our heads around the idea that someone we know is going hungry or isn’t sure where their next meal is coming from.
Lawmakers and candidates met Wednesday with voters to discuss early childhood education, and ways they hope to improve New Mexico’s 49th-in-the-nation ranking for child well-being. The event featured three speakers, comments from the candidates and elected officials, and a brief question and answer session.