NIEER declares New Mexico a "national leader" in PreK State of PreK

Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 18 May 2023 18 May 2023

Report gives New Mexico high marks on progress towards universal PreK   

SANTA FE – Today, the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released its annual “State of PreK Yearbook” report that analyzes and ranks state preschool programs, giving New Mexico top marks for its progress towards establishing free, universal PreK and the state’s significant investments in early education. The report ranks New Mexico in the top ten states for PreK for three-year-olds and 13th for four-year-olds, with the state meeting nine out of ten benchmarks for PreK quality.

“When I took office, I promised to deliver free, universal PreK for New Mexico families,” said Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. “We’ve made incredible progress by increasing access to early education, raising teacher salaries, and funding the largest PreK expansion in our state’s history. These investments establish New Mexico as a leader in early education. This is the solid foundation children in New Mexico deserve so they can learn, grown and thrive in the future.”

Since the beginning of the Lujan Grisham administration, New Mexico has taken significant strides to improve access to high-quality PreK in school based, community-based, family child care, and Head Start programs.  Since 2018, New Mexico has:

  • Boosted PreK enrollment from 10,989 in FY19 to 14,183 in FY22
  • Increased full-day PreK by 25 percentage points (from 53 to 81 percent)
  • Created a PreK Pay Parity program that compensates credentialed community-based PreK educators similarly to PreK educators in school based classrooms
  • Enacted a historic $109 million expansion of New Mexico PreK to improve PreK teacher compensation, increase instructional hours, and expand access to thousands of children across the state

“New Mexico has a historic and generational opportunity to build an early education and care system that meets families’ needs and supports healthy growth and development for children,” said Elizabeth Groginsky, Cabinet Secretary for the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department. “High-quality PreK supports young children’s learning and social emotional development skills and prepares them for Kindergarten and beyond.A copy of the NIEER State of Preschool 2022 report is available at nieer.org


Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham launched the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) in 2020, making New Mexico among the first states to consolidate all early childhood programs and services under a single cabinet-level agency. Under this administration, ECECD has led the nation by expanding access to free New Mexico PreK, overseeing the largest investment in early childhood infrastructure in state history, and implementing cost-free child care for a majority of New Mexico families. Learn more about how ECECD supports children, families, and the early childhood professionals that serve our communities at nmececd.org. On Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @NewMexicoECECD.
 

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.