NM KIDS COUNT
Predicated on the idea that advocacy is more powerful when it is backed by data and evidence, the KIDS COUNT program allows us to advocate for the unmet needs of our state’s children by giving us a clear picture of what those needs are. This is done by identifying and tracking indicators of child well-being. By calling attention to indicators like the percentages of children living in poverty and single-parent families, teen birth rates, and more, we hope to create public accountability and the political will to drive policies that address these issues.
Featured Content
2022 KIDS COUNT Conference
As we approach our 10th Annual KIDS COUNT Conference, after more than two years of a pandemic and its related recession, it’s hard to remember life in 2019, let alone what great things have been accomplished. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, New Mexico’s kids were beginning to see more plentiful opportunities to thrive due to improvements in public policies that benefit child and family well-being, many of which NM Voices’ team and partners advocated to pass for many years… read more and register here.
National 2022 KIDS COUNT Data Book
This annual report, released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, assesses and ranks the 50 states on 16 indicators of child well-being, which are categorized into four domains – economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. New Mexico placed 50th in 2022. See New Mexico’s profile here.
2021 New Mexico KIDS COUNT Data Book
Still in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic and recession, New Mexico’s child well-being wavers. This annual report provides data on numerous child well-being indicators housed under four domains (economic security, education, health, and family and community) and includes policy solutions for ensuring a more equitable recovery. Includes some pandemic-specific data from 2021.
KIDS COUNT Data
KIDS COUNT Data Center
The Annie E. Casey Foundation houses extensive data on child well-being. The database can be searched and sorted by state, county, legislative districts, and other geographic areas. You may also search by topic, compare states or cities, create profiles, maps, rankings, line graphs, or download raw data.
NM KIDS COUNT Map Gallery
The NM Community Data Collaborative, with support from the New Mexico Early Learning Advisory Council, has created a special map gallery with NM KIDS COUNT data.
Recent Publications
New Mexico 2022 KIDS COUNT profile
State Data Sheet The national 2022 KIDS COUNT Data Book, released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, assesses and ranks the 50 states on 16 indicators of child well-being, which are categorized into four domains - economic well-being, education, health, and family and community. New Mexico placed 50th in 2022. (State-level data on indicators of child well-being)
2021 New Mexico KIDS COUNT Data Book
KIDS COUNT Data Book Still in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic and recession, New Mexico’s child well-being wavers. This annual report provides data on numerous child well-being indicators housed under four domains (economic security, education, health, and family and community) and includes policy solutions for ensuring a more equitable recovery. Includes some pandemic-specific data from 2021. (State- county- tribal area- and school district-level data on child well-being.)
Recent Blog Posts
Data shows New Mexico families struggle with basic expenses
New Mexico’s leaders have taken many actions to protect and support children and families through this uncertainty, including hunger relief funding, emergency economic relief for those left out of federal stimulus payments, a new paid-sick-leave policy, and an increase and expansion of the Working Families Tax Credit, which will put money in the hands of families who will spend it quickly and locally to provide for their children’s basic needs. These actions prevented us from losing all the progress we’ve been working for to improve well-being for all of our children.
Pre-pandemic improvement in child well-being a glimpse at what investments can do
Incremental improvements show us both that progress is possible and also that creating the nurturing environments our kids deserve and need to thrive will require bold and sustained actions and investments.
Recent News Coverage
New Mexico slips to 50th in child well-being
What’s not reflected in the data book is “great policy progress in the past few years that put kids first,” she said, noting a number of legislative changes made from 2019 forward. “Among them are the new child tax credit, the doubling of the tax credit for working families with kids and the expansion of child care systems to most every kid in New Mexico,” she said.
Low literacy linked to New Mexico’s poverty
“Literacy and poverty are closely tied together, and they can reinforce each other through generations,” said Amber Wallin, executive director of New Mexico Voices for Children. “If a child is living in poverty and facing difficult financial challenges, then one of the things that could come along with that is that their parents may have less time to work with them at home on reading and homework, particularly if the parents are working two jobs.”
KIDS COUNT Conferences & Workshops
2021 KIDS COUNT Virtual Conference A Just, Equitable & Sustainable Future for New Mexico Families: Centering Children & Women of Color in Recovery Held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this conference featured an opening message by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, Taifa Smith Butler, President of Demos, as keynote speaker, a presentation by NMVC Deputy Director Amber Wallin, and a community panel of women of color from across the state working to improve outcomes for New Mexico’s kids and families. Find materials for this conference here
2020 KIDS COUNT Conference Virtual Series Session One: Status of Child Well-Being in New Mexico & KIDS COUNT Data Book Release Held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this first of three sessions featured Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham as keynote speaker, as well as Karina Jimenez Lewis and Amber Wallin. Session Two: Family Economic Security & State Economic Stability and Recovery featured Erica Williams and NM Taxation & Revenue Department Secretary Stephanie Schardin Clarke. Session Three: Cradle-to-Career Education in the time of COVID-19 and Recession featured Lt. Governor Howie Morales, NM Early Childhood Education & Care Department Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky, and a panel of education experts. Find materials for this conference here
2019 KIDS COUNT Conference Framing the Future for Families: The Road Ahead Held in Albuquerque on June 26 – just a week after New Mexico was once again ranked 50th in the nation for child well-being – this conference featured Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham as keynote speaker, as well as Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller, and a dozen breakout learning sessions presented by community partners. Find materials for this conference here
2018 Southern New Mexico KIDS COUNT Conference Childhood Trauma: From Symptoms to Systems Change Held on Nov. 14, 2018, in Las Cruces, this conference featured speakers Dr. Andrew Hsi, Bhanu Harrison, Dr. Dulcinea Lara, Amber Wallin, and Kasandra Gandara, along with more than a dozen breakout learning sessions. Find materials for this conference here
2018 KIDS COUNT Conference Kids at the Crossroads: Charting the Course for Their Success Held on June 25, 2018, in Albuquerque, this conference featured speakers Leslie Boissiere, Dean Rudoy, and Frank Lopez, a gubernatorial candidate forum, and four breakout learning sessions. Find materials for this conference here
2018 Turning Data into Action Workshops This series of four workshops, held in April and May of 2018, went over county-specific data on child well-being, policy proposals that can improve child well-being, and tips for advocating with legislators. Find materials for this workshop here
2018 Northern New Mexico KIDS COUNT Conference Improving Child Well-Being with Data, Policy & Advocacy Held on March 22, 2018, in Española, this conference featured speakers Alvin Warren, Nick Johnson, and Amber Wallin, two community panels, and a call-to-action session. Find materials for this conference here
2017 Southern New Mexico KIDS COUNT Conference Opportunity Matters: Shaping Early Childhood Access to Care & Education in Southern New Mexico Held on Nov. 19, 2017, in Las Cruces, this conference featured speakers Nick Johnson, Amber Wallin, Erica Surova, and Frank Lopez, a screening of the documentary The Raising of America, and a panel of local city, county and state policymakers. Find materials for this conference here
2017 KIDS COUNT Conference Opportunity Matters: Advancing the Well-Being of New Mexico’s Children, Women, and Families in a New Political Era Held on June 26, 2017, this conference featured speakers Nick Johnson, Dennis Campa, Ray Rivera, Sarah Ghiorse, and Lisa Cacari Stone, and panelists Alicia Edwards, Pamelya Herndon, Jessica Riggs, Diana Maze, Sen. Mimi Stewart, Rep. Christine Trujillo, and Rep. Sheryl Williams Stapleton. Find materials for this conference here
2016 KIDS COUNT Conference Equity Matters: Impacts on Child Well-Being Held on June 27, 2016, this conference featured speakers Patrick McCarthy, Barbara Ferrer, and Jimmy Santiago Baca, and panelists Jozi DeLeon, Conroy Chino and Pamelya Herndon. Find materials for this conference here
2015 KIDS COUNT Conference Child Well-Being: A 2-Generation Approach to Success Held on June 29, 2015, this conference featured Lisa Hamilton, Marjorie Sims, Richard Noriega, the Reverend Dr. William J. Barber II, and Dr. Cathleen Willging as speakers, as well as a panel on preventing child abuse. Find materials for this conference here
2014 KIDS COUNT Conference A Call to Action! Held on June 30, 2014, this conference featured Dr. Art Rolnick, Dennis Campa, and Dolores Huerta as speakers, as well as a candidate forum. Find materials for this conference here
2013 KIDS COUNT Conference Third Grade Counts! The 2013 inaugural NM KIDS COUNT conference featured presentations by data and policy experts, as well as leaders in business and child advocacy. Find materials for this conference here