Education and Early Learning/Care
Children are our most valuable natural resource, and the investments we make in them, particularly in their earliest years, will benefit us all in the long term. Every family and individual should have access to an affordable, evidence-based, and high-quality prenatal and cradle-to-career system of care and education. Investing in a life-long educational continuum is the most effective way to ensure that New Mexicans have the best opportunities to succeed in school and throughout life.
Featured Content
Early Childhood County Fact Sheets
Voters passed constitutional amendment 1 (CA 1), which will increase funding for early childhood care and education (ECCE) services and K-12 programs for students with specific needs, by a margin of 70% to 30% in the 2022 election. These county-level fact sheets contain population demographics and nine child well-being indicators for children younger than age 5 – the age group benefitting from expanded ECCE services. They’ve been updated to include votes for CA 1 for each county.
New Mexico’s 2022 KIDS COUNT profile
New Mexico is again ranked 50th in the nation in education by the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS COUNT Data Book. This state profile shows how our children are faring in education as well as the on the other 12 indicators of child well-being used in the national KIDS COUNT rankings.
New Mexico’s K-12 Schools: Funding the Education System Our Students Deserve
Despite recent increases in K-12 funding and the ruling in the Yazzie/Martinez lawsuit, New Mexico still fails to adequately invest in the kind of educational system our students deserve. This policy brief looks at the state’s K-12 funding landscape, educator shortage, the pandemics’ impact, and more. (State-level data on student demographics, proficiencies, and graduation rates)
Recent Publications
Early Childhood Care and Education in New Mexico: Using New Tools and Rising to the Challenge
Report New Mexico has expanded early childhood programs and the voters have mandated even more. This report looks at the still-unmet need as well as the science behind these programs. (State-level data on child well-being and unmet early childhood needs.)
2022 New Mexico KIDS COUNT Data Book
NM KIDS COUNT Data Book Given the pandemic, child well-being could have taken a great tumble. But, thanks to smart investments at both the state and federal levels, New Mexico's children are not fairing much more poorly and in some cases, have seen slight improvements. This annual report provides data on numerous child well-being indicators related to economic security, education, health, and family and community, and includes policy solutions. (State-, county-, tribal- and school district-level data on child well-being.)
Recent Blog Posts
NM should continue to lead the way on higher ed by fully funding the Opportunity Scholarship
New Mexico is leading the way in providing all students with tuition-free higher education, and the Opportunity Scholarship has already shown results. That's why the Senate Finance Committee should fully fund the Opportunity Scholarship and keep it free of any guardrail language regarding its administration.
New Mexico should continue to lead the nation on investments in early childhood
Rio Rancho Observer--New Mexico now leads the nation for something good: our expansion of child care assistance. The federal funding that paid for that expansion ends soon, and our state lawmakers need to replace it in order to ensure that our parents can work and their children are well cared for.
Recent News Coverage
How the Legislature addressed child well being
NM Political Report--“Research shows what types of public policy is most impactful for reducing child poverty. Earned income tax credits and child tax credits are some of the most effective ways to reduce child poverty. It was one of the most critical bills under consideration at the legislature,” Wallin said.
Online tutoring company Paper loses statewide contract in New Mexico
Chalkbeat--Emily Wildau, a research and policy analyst at the nonprofit New Mexico Voices for Children, says that after chronic absenteeism shot up in the state during the pandemic, many students would benefit from more consistent tutoring that’s part of their school day.
Current Initiatives
Invest in Kids NOW! is an alliance of organizations dedicated to making early childhood education, health and development for children ages zero to five years a priority in New Mexico. Read more.
Birth to Five New Mexico is an alliance of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving access to and the quality of early childhood care and education (ECE) in New Mexico.
Resources
The Early Childhood Map Gallery is a collection of interactive maps and applications describing early childhood risks, services, and resources in New Mexico neighborhoods by the NM Community Data Collaborative.
Change the First Five Years and You Change Everything is a short video by the Ounce of Prevention Fund that puts a human face on the need for higher quality ECE programs, particularly for children from low-income homes.
The Heckman Equation is an online resource for policymakers, advocates and organizations who promote investment in early childhood education and development. The site, based on the work of Nobel laureate in economics, James Heckman, includes short videos and other advocacy tools.
Zero to Three is a national, nonprofit organization that informs, trains, and supports professionals, policy-makers, and parents in their efforts to improve the lives of infants and toddlers.
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids is a national, bipartisan, nonprofit anti-crime organization of more than 5,000 police chiefs, sheriffs, prosecutors, attorneys general, and other law enforcement leaders, who advocate for high-quality early care and education programs as one way to reduce crime.
Mission: Readiness is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization led by senior retired military leaders ensuring continued national security and prosperity by calling for smart investments, including high-quality early care and education programs, in the upcoming generation of American children.