September 9, 2026
The challenges facing New Mexico children took center stage as U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich met with children’s advocates to discuss education, health care and financial stability. The numbers show why: A single parent raising one child needs nearly $68,000 a year to cover basic costs, and 1 in 4 New Mexico children lives in poverty, according to a New Mexico Voices for Children report used to frame the discussion.
Heinrich joined New Mexico Voices for Children and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation today for a roundtable at the Resilience Hub in Downtown Albuquerque focused on the group’s Children’s Roadmap report. Released in June, the 44-page report examines New Mexico’s progress and gaps in education, health care and family economic security. It recommends strengthening the early childhood workforce, expanding access to high-quality education, improving preventive, maternal and behavioral health care, increasing family incomes and expanding access to public benefits and tax credits. Representatives from New Mexico Voices for Children, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Transform Education New Mexico, Changing Women Initiative, Breath My Heart Birthplace, Future Focused Education and UNM’s Department of Pediatrics joined the discussion.
Read more at The Paper.