Education and Early Learning/Care2023-01-06T15:49:58-07:00

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

2022 New Mexico KIDS COUNT Data Book

January 18th, 2023|

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.)

All publications

Recent Blog Posts

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Recent News Coverage

How the Legislature addressed child well being

March 24th, 2023|

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.

All news coverage

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.

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