A JOINT MEMORIAL
REQUESTING A STUDY OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ALIGNING EARLY
CHILD CARE EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN NEW MEXICO.
WHEREAS, research has shown
that high-quality pre-kindergarten early education programs produce long-term
benefits for children who enroll in them, including improved overall academic
performance, increased motivation, increased self-confidence, better attendance
in school and improved classroom behavior; and
WHEREAS, economic analysis of
research has shown that every dollar spent on providing high-quality early care
and education programs results in a seven-dollar ($7.00) savings to taxpayers;
and
WHEREAS, thirty-six states
currently have legislation mandating the coordination of child care systems
with other early education systems and twenty-one states have laws that require
early childhood education programs to coordinate with child care programs in order
to be eligible for funding under a statewide early childhood initiative; and
WHEREAS, in New Mexico, there
is currently no entity responsible for the coordination of early care and
education programs or for the collection of data about existing systems of
early care and education such as the number of children being served, types of
programs available, the amount of federal and state funds being expended for
these services and the purpose or expected outcomes of programs; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that
approximately two hundred fifty million dollars ($250,000,000) of federal and
state funds are being expended annually for early care and education programs
in New Mexico; and
WHEREAS, the interagency
coordinating group was created in law within the children, youth and families
department in 1992 and is comprised of the secretary of finance and
administration, the secretary of health, the secretary of human services, the
secretary of labor, the superintendent of public instruction, the chairman of
the joint interim legislative health and human services committee and a member
of governor's office; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the
interagency coordinating group is to assist the secretary of children, youth
and families and the children, youth and families advisory committee in
planning the coordination of services;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the interagency coordinating
group be requested to study the alignment of early care education programs in
New Mexico, establish a framework for a statewide comprehensive and universal
system of preschool programs and fully delineate the procedures and methodology
necessary to implement such a framework; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the
interagency coordinating group report its findings and recommendations to the
legislative education study committee by November 2003; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that
copies of this memorial be transmitted to the interagency coordinating group
and the director of the legislative education study committee for appropriate
distribution.