SENATE MEMORIAL 60

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2012

INTRODUCED BY

Sue Wilson Beffort

A MEMORIAL

RECOGNIZING AND CELEBRATING THE FAMILIES, CHILDREN, EDUCATORS, ADMINISTRATORS AND PROGRAM STAFF WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUCCESS OF THE NEW MEXICO PRE-KINDERGARTEN PROGRAM.

     WHEREAS, New Mexico PreK is a program that the children, youth and families department and the public education department jointly administer that focuses on preparing children to enter kindergarten with the skills and dispositions necessary to be successful in school, to read by third grade, to graduate from high school and to be successful in life; and

     WHEREAS, in 2005, the legislature passed and the governor signed into law the Pre-Kindergarten Act, finding that a state pre-kindergarten program was necessary to provide four-year-old residents with an environment to foster their intellectual, emotional, social and physical development; and

     WHEREAS, under the Pre-Kindergarten Act, the New Mexico PreK program is charged with creating an effective, child-centered and developmentally appropriate learning environment; and

     WHEREAS, the state of New Mexico funded the national institute for early education research to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of the New Mexico PreK program, beginning with its first year of operation and ending in 2009; and

     WHEREAS, research, including that of the national institute for early education research, consistently shows that four-year-olds who have had the opportunity to participate in the pre-kindergarten program enter kindergarten with significantly greater language, literacy and mathematical skills than those children who have not participated in the program; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico PreK provides meaningful opportunities to engage parents in fostering their children's learning at home; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico PreK honors each child's home culture, knowledge and languages; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico PreK lays the foundation for developing the highly trained work force that New Mexico needs in the twenty-first century; and

     WHEREAS, the national institute for early education research's studies show that New Mexico PreK can improve short- and long-term educational outcomes by reducing the numbers of children retained in their grade levels, lowering the number of children eligible for special education and increasing graduation rates; and

     WHEREAS, studies have estimated that pre-kindergarten participants will have better educational outcomes that produce higher earnings, be less likely to engage in criminal behavior and be less likely to use welfare services; and

     WHEREAS, the co-administration of the pre-kindergarten program by the children, youth and families department and the public education department supports a mixed delivery system that provides families choices among different types of programs and greater access to pre-kindergarten programs statewide; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico PreK provides on-site consultation, scholarships from the teacher education and compensation helps program, also known as "T.E.A.C.H.", professional development opportunities and training that focuses on implementing a consistent, criterion-based instruction program; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico PreK continuously assesses participants' learning and development across many domains of knowledge and skill; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico PreK has modeled high-quality early childhood education and has helped to spread best practices in the field even to those programs that are not involved with New Mexico PreK; and

     WHEREAS, the national institute for early education research study estimates New Mexico PreK's benefit to society to be six dollars seventeen cents ($6.17) for every one dollar ($1.00) invested;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the families, children, educators, administrators and program staff who have contributed to the success of the New Mexico PreK program be recognized and celebrated; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the governor, the secretary of children, youth and families and the secretary of public education.

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