A national policy institute has recognized the state’s efforts in establishing free, universal pre-K with high rankings in a new report.
The National Institute for Early Education Research in their Preschool 2022 Yearbook shows New Mexico has made progress in accessibility to children under the age of four and highlights 89% of all children being enrolled in school-day pre-K.
Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky with the Early Childhood Education and Care Department said the state is well on its way to providing universal preschool for 4-year-olds and very close for 3-year-olds. But it’s also important to focus on creating programs of the highest quality.
"And that quality comes from paying teachers and helping them achieve the credentials they need to be those incredible brain architects," Groginsky said.
The department was awarded almost $100 million this past legislative session with the hope of recruiting more qualified teachers to pre-K programs. In December of 2022 the state was also awarded a federal Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five for $10 million. This grant will help ECECD address things like implementing local strategic plans, maximizing family engagement, and supporting the workforce to expand language immersion in Tribal communities.
The report notes that salary parity between pre-K teachers in community programs and in those run by public schools has helped retain staff and provided incentives for getting more training.
The state has met 9 of the 10 benchmarks established by the report, like teachers having specialized training in pre-K and health screenings. Groginsky said the focus is on getting good educators all over the state and highlighted several scholarships and support programs, like the Opportunity Scholarship, which covers tuition and fees at New Mexico public colleges and universities.
This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners.
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