Investments in early childhood have best return

The one occupation most adults will have is that of a parent, but most adults have little or no training in how to parent or even what to expect from their children as they move through various stages of development. “Is that normal?”  “What should she be doing at this age?”  “How can I help…

Doña Ana County teen birth rate continues to decline

In 2005, the New Mexico Community Foundation with the purpose of identifying the social problems of Doña Ana County, sponsored a series of community meetings. One of the alarming statistics brought to all of us at the meetings was the number of teen pregnancies in the county, placing us as having the highest rate among counties in New Mexico, and New Mexico had the…

Partnerships serve families and create opportunities

Relationships are the cornerstone to all systems. They are at the heart of our existence as human beings. How we show up will greatly affect our ability to connect with ourselves and those around us. We rely on these important connections to navigate our ecosystems that may include our friends, coworkers, organizations, and community, to…

SUCCESS Snapshot: ‘College for all’ more realistic than ever

According to a study by Georgetown University, 58 percent of the jobs in New Mexico in 2018 require a post-secondary degree or certificate. That means there are approximately 166,000 jobs that require a post-secondary credential, 86,000 jobs requiring a high school diploma and 39,000 jobs for individuals without a high school degree. Economists predict that higher…

Advancing teachers and aligning after-school programs

Imagine how the health and well-being of families in Doña Ana County could be transformed if higher education, traditional public schools, charter schools, private schools, early intervention agencies, nonprofits, military institutions and local governments worked together to improve the lives of all children in Doña Ana County. The Success Partnership has been bringing regional leaders…

Coordinator works to mesh early childhood programs

LAS CRUCES- My role as the Doña Ana County (DAC) early childhood education (ECE) coordinator is rather unique. La Clinica de Familia and Ngage New Mexico partnered on a grant to obtain funding for my position, which I’ve been in since 2017. My goal is to identify how the ECE coalition can support the work…

Data will empower community to help kids

LAS CRUCES – The recent death of a proposal in the New Mexico Legislature to expand early childhood education left many education advocates across the state crestfallen. After all, we have heard the statistics about New Mexico before; second in child poverty, second for violent crime, dead last in public education, and a 39.8 percent…

Partnership creates opportunities for local students

LAS CRUCES – On an average day at the Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine, visitors will see medical students hustling between classes and huddled in study groups. They might also find students much too young to be enrolled in medical school. That’s because numerous outreach initiatives are getting children as young as elementary school interested…

Community Action Agency joins education effort

LAS CRUCES – Great nonprofits are built on great partnerships. No organization – no matter how well funded or dedicated – can do everything. Partnerships allow us to learn from one another, help one another and ultimately provide a better quality of life for the clients we serve. For these reasons, Community Action Agency of…

Building the New in Early Childhood Education

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but building the new” That quote, credited to Socrates, has perhaps never been more relevant. As we begin the new year with all of our personal hopes and aspirations, New Mexico continues to fight the old demons: lowest in…