New Mexico’s child poverty rate is either the highest in the nation or better than the national average – depending on which poverty measurement is used. Both poverty rates come from the U.S. Census Bureau, but take very different factors into account. In order for state lawmakers to make informed decisions about public policies affecting children, they must understand the factors that influence these poverty measurements.

“This information is crucial for lawmakers as it shows how anti-poverty policies improve children's daily lives by providing essential resources that enhance well-being and lead to better long-term outcomes for families,” said Gabrielle Uballez, Executive Director of NM Voices for Children. “It's equally exciting to note that this data doesn’t even count one of the state’s newest anti-poverty policies – the Child Tax Credit.”

Immigration policies have taken center stage in public debates this year, but much of the conversation has been driven by emotion, not data. A new in-depth national study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) aims to help change that by quantifying how much undocumented immigrants pay in taxes – both nationally and in each state.

New Mexico has made improvements in lowering child poverty over the past decade, according to the national 2024 KIDS COUNT® Data Book, a 50-state annual report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Data Book, which analyzes how children and families are faring, was released today by the Baltimore, MD-based foundation. This year, the Data Book also includes information on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and chronic absences.

New Mexico, along with other states that saw a precipitous drop in children enrolled in Medicaid, should do whatever they can to quickly re-enroll those children – most of whom are likely still eligible for the free health insurance program – to prevent gaps in coverage. That was among the conclusions in a report released today by Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy Center for Children and Families (CCF).

New Mexico Voices for Children is pleased to welcome Gabrielle Uballez as its new executive director. Uballez is a seasoned social sector leader with over a decade of experience in organizational leadership, partnership development, program design, and racial equity. She most recently served as a program officer at Asset Funders Network, where she played a key role in advancing national and regional initiatives focused on racial and economic justice in philanthropy. She joins NM Voices on April 8, 2024.

Child well-being in New Mexico appears to be slowly improving. As history has shown us, fighting poverty is a policy choice. This was made clear by the pandemic-era changes in the federal Child Tax Credit (CTC). The CTC expansion led to the largest decrease in national child poverty on record. Not only did child poverty dramatically decline, but the gaps between the poverty rates for children of color and those for white children also narrowed. Not surprisingly, the year after the federal CTC expansion expired, the gaps in poverty by race and ethnicity widened again. Still, child poverty in New Mexico remains lower than it did a decade ago.

Children of color in New Mexico make up the majority of kids, yet overall, they fall behind their peers nationwide and face disparate outcomes compared to kids who are Asian and Pacific Islander and white in New Mexico, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2024 Race for Results report.

A report on a recently concluded statewide guaranteed income pilot program with 330 immigrant families demonstrated unrestricted cash assistance programs allowed for low-wage earners to pursue better jobs, increase their educational levels, and improve other critical outcomes for their children. The report, Guaranteed Income: Increasing Employment and Helping Families Thrive, on the New Mexico Guaranteed Income Pilot Program for Immigrant Families, was released on December 12, 2023.