Latest news with #ElizabethGroginsky
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
New Mexico early childhood agency launches summer food program
Through August, more than 500 meal sites across New Mexico are providing free food on a first-come, first-served basis. (Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) Young people and some adults with disabilities in New Mexico can receive free food this summer at hundreds of sites across the state. The state Early Childhood Education and Care Department last week launched its statewide Summer Food Service Program, which offers free, nutritious meals to children while on break from school and to adults who are enrolled in school programs for people with disabilities. Through August, more than 500 meal sites are providing food on a first-come, first-served basis. Sites and hours can be found on this map, or by calling 1-800-EAT-COOL (1-800-328-2665). In a statement, department Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky invited every New Mexico family to take advantage of the program. 'Nutritious meals are essential for children to thrive, and no child should go without food just because school is out,' Groginsky said. 'This program is one simple, effective way families can support their children's health this summer — in a fun and social environment too.' The agency said in a news release it expects to serve approximately 17,000 children and 750,000 meals this summer. Last year, it served 16,565 children and 720,603 meals, according to the release. Hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans, including one in four children, are food insecure, according to data from 2022 compiled by the nonprofit food bank network Feeding America. Counties with the highest rates of food insecurity include McKinley, Luna, Sierra, Socorro and Catron. The state Public Education Department also runs an alternative summer food program called the Seamless Summer Option, whose meal sites are also shown on the map linked above. PED also oversees SUN Bucks, for which some families are automatically eligible to receive $120 in food benefits per child. Starting next month, some Summer Food Service Program meal sites will make food using locally grown ingredients under a pilot based on the department's New Mexico Grown grant program. These programs are funded by the country's major federal food assistance program called Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. A proposal going through the U.S. Congress could result in states shouldering some SNAP costs starting in 2028. Hunger advocates push for funding, policies at the Roundhouse
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
National pre-K report highlights New Mexico investments in enrollment, funding
New Mexico has significantly improved funding and enrollment in preschool, according to a recently released national report. (Photo courtesy of the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department) New Mexico's national rankings for preschool education have improved significantly due to increases in enrollment and funding, according to a recently released report. The National Institute for Early Education Research, a nonpartisan research organization established at Rutgers University, released its 2024 State of Preschool Yearbook last week, which looks at access to preschool, quality of programs and state funding. According to the report, New Mexico pre-K served record high percentages of children aged 3 and 4 between 2023 and 2024. The state improved to sixth in the country for preschool accessibility for 3-year-olds to 12th in the country for access for 4-year-olds – New Mexico was 13th in both areas in the previous report. New Mexico also moved from 14th to fifth in the country for state spending per child. The total amount spent by the state more than doubled from the previous year to nearly $212.9 million, which translated to about $13,200 per child, according to the report. The state appropriated nearly $100 million to the Early Childhood Education and Care Department from the Land Grant Permanent Fund, further increasing funding to pre-K programs, Head Start and other community-based programs. New Mexico was one of six states to increase funding by more than $100 million between 2023 and 2024, according to the report. 'These investments are part of a broader strategy to ensure that every child in New Mexico has access to high-quality, world-class early education and care, setting a strong foundation for lifelong learning and success,' Early Childhood Education and Care Department Sec. Elizabeth Groginsky told Source in a written statement. She said the NIEER report's findings reflect the steps the state has taken toward a 'cradle-to-career education system' for New Mexico children. She added that legislative investments have funded 20,375 preschool slots for fiscal year 2026. Kate Noble, president and CEO of advocacy organization Growing Up New Mexico, told Source NM that the $100 million appropriation was the largest increase in funding to early childhood in the state's history. 'New Mexico has, I think, been fortunate to have an administration and Legislature that really understands the importance of investing in early childhood, and they've been willing to make significant commitments,' Noble said. 'It's not just funding the system properly that's important, but it's also the way that we have…been holding it and talking about it in our communities.' Noble said expansions to funding play important roles in increasing enrollment, expanding classroom capacity and investing in teachers, but the idea of universal pre-K remains 'rooted' in New Mexico communities. The state now has a cycle, she said, of expanding funding, expanding community knowledge and engagement and therefore, expanding child participation. 'We have this sort of social appreciation for it that has also shifted measurably over the past six years since the Early Childhood Education and Care Department came into existence,' Noble said. The NIEER report also looks at several benchmarks such as teacher qualifications, class sizes, learning standards and health screenings. New Mexico met nine out of 10 benchmarks. The state fell short of the benchmark for all early education teachers to have a bachelor of arts degree. 'When states put money into quality preschool programs, they are investing in children's futures and can expect to see strong returns on their investments. New Mexico leaders have put the right quality standards and per-pupil funding levels in place to ensure that pre-K programs adequately support children's development and result in the lasting gains that ultimately deliver savings for taxpayers,' W. Steven Barnett, NIEER's senior director and founder, said in a statement. Noble said 'there's no question' that New Mexico is a leader in expanding early childhood education 'in its thinking, in its rhetoric and in its actions.' She added that the state should also start seeing the investments made in early childhood start to translate into positive outcomes as children grow and make their way through the educational system. 'Investment without quality is not going to get us anywhere,' she said. 'It does take time because children need to grow, but we have studied pre-K. It does have positive outcomes that extend into school-age years. And New Mexico has made significant investments and really should start to reap the benefits of what we've done.' Noble told Source that she believes the state needs to show a similar focus on home visiting, a program that supports families and can often be a first step in screening for developmental delays in children aged 0 to 3. Home visitors can then refer families for early intervention to help mitigate delays before a child enters K-12 school. She said there also needs to be a focus on early childhood workforce in the state through professional development and increased wages to reflect the 'benefit to society' they provide. Groginsky told Source that the state is working to support educators through a pay parity program, matching compensation between early childhood teachers and K-12 teachers based on 'credentials and experience.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
