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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Lopez

DATE TYPED 2/22/05

HB

SHORT TITLE Statewide Family Development Training Program

SB 253

ANALYST Hanika-Ortiz

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

$300.0

Recurring General Fund

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 253 appropriates $300 thousand to the PED in FY06 and subsequent fiscal years to

increase the Family Development Programs (FDP) statewide training and outreach activities co-

ordinated by the University of New Mexico (UNM).

Significant Issues

The PED has the following comment:

•

The mission of the FDP is “to help families and teachers throughout New Mexico help

children succeed in school.”

•

FDP provided 77 workshops to 1,154 teachers, staff, parents and other family members

from 82 communities throughout New Mexico in 2004 affecting 44,062 children.

•

FDP provides research-based professional development workshops and disseminates

educational materials relevant to early childhood education and development.

•

FDP establishes partnerships with educational organizations representing the geographic,

demographic and economic diversity in New Mexico.

Currently, the FDP is in the second year of a three-year contract with the Children Youth and

Senate Bill 253 -- Page 2

Families Department for Parents, Infants and Toddlers Recognizing Parents Are Teachers (Pit-R-

Pat), a home visitation and parent toddler playgroup project that emphasizes literacy and devel-

opmentally appropriate learning.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

It is unclear what performance measures are in place to measure success of the program.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The PED would be responsible for flowing funds to UNM and monitoring the program.

The appropriation of $300 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY06 shall not revert to

the general fund.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

PED staff would be required to monitor the program.

SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

The FDP in the College of Education at UNM is launching an innovative curriculum for chil-

dren from birth to age five. The program is being developed in cooperation with The Families

and Work Institute in New York and will prepare early childhood teachers to work more

thoughtfully as they teach.

New Mexico is the first state in the nation to try the new program, which utilizes the latest

brain research information about how children learn. Teachers in the City of Albuquerque Early

Childhood Program, UNM Childcare Program and the Laguna Pueblo Early Childhood Pro-

gram will all spend the next several months meeting and learning about new ways to stimulate

the minds of children they work with.

One of the basic parts of the program provokes teachers to think in ways that encourage obser-

vation, investigation, analysis and action as they teach their young charges. One hundred fifty

teachers will work in teams to encourage and mentor each other. “Mind in the Making” begins

in September and runs through spring 2005.

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL.

The FDP would not receive additional funding for statewide training and outreach.

QUESTIONS

How are the families selected. What are the income requirements for families participating in the

program.

AHO/yr