NM Voices in the News
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Report emphasizes impacts of climate change on children’s health
NM Political Report--Shiv said the harm of climate change comes in the fact that all the issues are interrelated. “Having conditions for drought, we’re more likely to see more wildfires. That worsens air quality; we see poor air quality and that connects to extreme heat. It’s hard to pick out one issue. It’s all linked to climate change,” she said.
Kids are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, new report says
Albuquerque Journal--“Rising temperatures, droughts and floods have huge impacts on food chains — which then impact the amount of food, the quality of food and increases the prices of food,” Shiv said. “All of that makes it harder to access healthy, nutritious food … in a state where 21% of children already have limited access to food.”
Oil and gas industry in New Mexico could see higher land rates under federal proposal
Carlsbad Current Argus--“We were all taught at a young age then we make a mess, we need to take responsibility and clean up after ourselves. These reforms are especially important because we know orphaned wells and infrastructure threaten the health of our families and communities,” Knight said. “We know that updating the federal royalty and rental rates is an important step to making sure the oil and gas industry pays its fair share.”
State finalizes new child care assistance rules
Santa Fe New Mexican--By increasing per-child reimbursement rates and restructuring co-payment schedules, the changes benefit families and providers simultaneously, Amber Wallin, executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children, said in an interview Thursday. “New Mexico really is leading the nation in thinking about how you can address such an important system that’s so critical not just for our kids and our families and our workers, but for our entire economy,” Wallin said.
With end of public health emergency, thousands in danger of Medicaid disenrollment without action
NM Political Report--Divya Shiv, research and policy analyst for New Mexico Voices for Children, called the disenrollment “really scary.” She said that during the pandemic, when families were able to stay on Medicaid regardless of whether they recertified or provided documentation proving eligibility, many families experienced economic stability and were protected from the high cost of medical care.
Why the State’s ranking shouldn’t get you down
Las Cruces Sun-News--The fact is, New Mexico has made some extraordinary headway in improving opportunities for kids in recent years. Some of it’s made nationwide headlines. Our investments in child care assistance, voter-approved expansion of early childhood services, and child-focused tax policy improvements all received national accolades.
Report: New Mexico improving, but still ranks at bottom for child well being
NM Political Report--Wallin said New Mexico Voices for Children would like to see the state “continue to keep up its investments in kids and families.” “The key is we don’t stop now. We continue to look at the long view. We continue to find new areas,” she said, adding that one could be increasing child educator pay.
Worst for child well-being: New Mexico 50th in annual Kids Count report
Albuquerque Journal--But Amber Wallin, executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children, said the state has launched new programs that may take time to show up in the annual report. The state, she said, dramatically expanded a child care assistance program in mid-2021 — the year much of the data is based on — and voters just last year authorized hefty increases in the funding available for early childhood education and K-12 schools.
New Mexico again last in Kids Count report but state advocate sees progress
Santa Fe New Mexican--“The thing about the rankings is that they’re only one small part of the story about child well-being and about opportunity. … They don’t tell us about where we’ve been as a state, how far we’ve come or where we should be going,” Wallin said.
New Mexico ranks as the worst state for child well-being
KOAT TV--The 2023 Kids County Data Book shows New Mexico ranks last in the nation for child well-being. New Mexico was ranked on 16 different indicators for the well-being of children. The report shows New Mexico ranks 49th in economic well-being, with 24% of children living in poverty.