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

SPONSOR Nava

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/6/06

2/7/06 HB

SHORT TITLE UNM Family Development Program

SB 79

ANALYST Lewis

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

555.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates HB 491.

Relates to HB 726 (Expand

UNM Family Development Program

)

Relates to SB 646 (

UNM Family Development Program

)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

Public Education Department (PED)

Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 79 appropriates $555,000 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of the Uni-

versity of New Mexico for the Family Development Program’s Statewide Training Outreach

Program and the Family Development Program’s Comprehensive Training Program based on

brain development research in the science of early learning.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $555,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2007 shall revert

to the general fund.

Senate Bill 79 – Page

2

As of 2/6/06, Senate Bill 415 includes $400,000 to expand services for the Family Development

Program, including personal services and employee benefits of additional full-time-equivalent

positions;

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to the University of New Mexico (UNM), the Family Development Program (FDP)

within the UNM College of Education, provides research-based professional development work-

shops throughout New Mexico, and disseminates educational materials relevant to children’s

early education and development. The workshops and materials reflect current research on the

critical importance of children’s development in the first years of life and on how children learn

best. They are based on research in family-centered, multicultural, bilingual education and match

national recommendations for best practices for training teachers to help teachers and family

members respond to young children’s earliest delight in learning.

UNM notes that in 2004-2005, FDP brought together 1,385 teachers, staff, parents and other

family members from 98 communities throughout New Mexico to participate in 116 professional

and skills development workshops. FDP’s Family Development Journal is distributed semiannu-

ally to school superintendents, directors of instruction, elementary school principals, early child-

hood educators, parents, and pediatricians, various community-based programs, and, through a

partnership with the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), to 8,000 registered child

care providers.

According to the Higher Education Department (HED),

the Family Development Program is one

of the top initiatives identified by the UNM Board of Regents for this year. This bill’s appropria-

tion would help provide statewide training outreach and expand FDP’s current comprehensive

training program based on brain development research in the science of early learning. Of the

$555,000 appropriated:

$250,000 would augment the base budget to meet increasing demand for statewide early

childhood professional development; and

$305,000 would help develop statewide training capacity so that the program “Mind in the

Making: The Science of Early Learning” could be offered to both rural and urban communi-

ties who have requested this training.

HED notes that New Mexico is the first state in the nation to implement a program of this type,

which utilizes the latest brain research information about how children learn. With past state

support and other grant money, this internationally recognized program provides statewide train-

ing to members of the public as well as state entities. It serves the community directly by pro-

moting opportunities for families and individuals to recognize their strengths, set their own

agendas, and make creative changes in their lives.

HED adds that the need for professional development in a rural state like New Mexico is tre-

mendous. In 2004-2005, only 67% of the proposed community partnerships could be served due

to staffing limitations. Additional funding would provide service to 50 more communities im-

pacting 25,000 children.

The proposal was submitted to the Higher Education Department by UNM and included in

HED’s funding recommendation for FY07 in the total amount of $663,100 (including $413,100

Senate Bill 79 – Page

3

base appropriation, plus $250,000 for expansion).

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

According to HED,

this appropriation would support the state goals of closing the achievement

gap and assuring educational success for all children. Mind in the Making: New Mexico expects

to serve at least 200 early childhood educators each year impacting more than 4,000 young chil-

dren.

ML/nt