ECECD News:
LAS CRUCES — The New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) convened its fifth Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) Advisory Council of 2024 on Wednesday, Nov. 13, in Las Cruces.
“New Mexico is moving forward several quality initiatives that will continue to transform early childhood education and care in years to come, including a redesign of the state’s child care quality improvement and rating system and the use of actionable school readiness data that will help inform the expansion and enhancement of ECECD programs and services,” ECECD Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky said. “The Advisory Council plays an essential role in ensuring that our state’s prenatal-to-age 5 early childhood system reflects the wants and needs of New Mexico families and is continuously improving.”
The November meeting included:
- Presentations by two of 17 local early childhood system building coalitions, the PIECE Coalition of Lincoln County and Community Partnership for Children, of Grant County.
- Next steps on the rollout of the Early Development Instrument data, a population-based measure of school readiness.
- Review of the Early Childhood Community Assessment Request for Proposals, which seeks a statewide, regional, and county-level assessment to identify strengths and challenges in the early childhood system.
- Subcommittee reports, including a review of the FOCUS Redesign, the state’s child care quality improvement and rating system.
- Discussion of the agency’s Five-Year Finance Plan.
“I am grateful to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham for appointing such a diverse and committed group of individuals to the ECEC Advisory Council,” said Daisy Lira,[SE1] Advisory Council chair and Sunland Park City Council member. “The valuable insights and ideas from Children’s Cabinet agencies, philanthropy, families, higher education, Head Start, school districts, local government, and early childhood providers strengthen the work of ECECD.”
The final ECEC Advisory Council meeting of 2024 will be held Wednesday, Dec. 11, in Albuquerque.
The Advisory Council is required to produce an annual report for the governor compiling council recommendations. The inaugural report for 2023 is available in English and Spanish.
All materials related to the Advisory Council, including meeting materials, meeting recordings, reports, and information on upcoming meetings can be found on the ECEC Advisory Council web page: Early Childhood Education and Care Advisory Council | Early Childhood Education & Care Department
About the ECEC Advisory Council
The ECEC Advisory Council is comprised of state and local education leaders, early childhood professionals, service providers, Tribal representatives, parent representatives, and other individuals representing communities impacted by early care and education policies. The Council engages with a wide range of stakeholders to guide and build upon the state’s ongoing work to create a comprehensive, affordable, and high-quality prenatal-to-5 system that meets the needs of New Mexico’s children and families. The Early Childhood Education and Care Advisory Council fulfills a federal requirement for states to establish a state advisory early childhood council.