VYFK News:

ALBUQUERQUE — The Vote Yes for Kids (VYFK) campaign, organized to support passage of Constitutional Amendment 1, reported today having raised more than $1 million from hundreds of New Mexicans and early childhood advocates to support their effort.

In filings with the Secretary of State’s office today, Vote Yes for Kids reported contributions totaling more than $1.3 million since its last report in early July.

If approved by voters, Constitutional Amendment 1 would allocate roughly $150 million from the state’s Permanent School Fund every year to the Early Childhood Education and Care Department for early childhood education and about $100 million to the Public Education Department to improve educational outcomes for at-risk students.

In March 2021, the New Mexico Legislature passed House Joint Resolution 1 (HJR1), a historic resolution proposing a state constitutional amendment to the voters to invest the state’s permanent funds into education programs.

The Sept. 12 report includes scores of new, small contributions from New Mexico who support the campaign. 

“I’m encouraging New Mexicans to vote yes on Constitutional Amendment 1, so educators like myself can earn a living wage while caring for children during the most critical years of brain development,” said Christina Quintana, a preschool teacher in Albuquerque who contributed to the campaign.  

Vote Yes for Kids also reported sizable contributions from a number of institutional funders that support public investments in early childhood education.  

“New Mexico has a unique opportunity to lead the country by demonstrating how states can provide permanent revenue streams for early childhood education without raising taxes,” said Kimberly Robson, Chief Operating Officer of the Save the Children Action Network, which contributed $206,000 to the campaign in cash and in-kind media purchases.  

The Albuquerque Journal recently showed that 69 percent of New Mexico voters surveyed by Research and Polling support Constitutional Amendment 1.  

As election day nears, Vote Yes for Kids plans to hold a number of organizing meetings and other events with key community partners, legislators, and decision makers around the state to bring awareness to Constitutional Amendment 1 and engage as many New Mexico voters as possible through election day.

For more information on the campaign and to view upcoming events, visit www.voteyesforkidsnm.com.