Our recommendations helped lead to the creation of the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department

The Project Background

In 2011, the Early Childhood Care and Education Act (or Senate Bill 120) was passed, requiring the establishment of a comprehensive early childhood care and education system in New Mexico, which included alignment among state and private programs. The legislative bill also created the state’s Early Learning Advisory Council (ELAC).  

Because of this new bill, ELAC needed to understand community needs before funding early childhood programs to prevent duplication of efforts and saturation of services. 

To implement and improve upon its recommendations, ELAC sought to better understand how early childhood programs, specifically those serving three- and four-year-old children in New Mexico, such as PreK and Head Start, are currently coordinating state and federal funding.

The Project Goals

The Thornburg Foundation commissioned EduDream to partner with ELAC to conduct research and generate policy recommendations. Specifically, our research examined the allocation of federal and state early childhood funds and identified strategies to ensure state funds reach areas of high need without supplanting federal funding.  

Three overarching research questions guided the data collection and analysis: 

1. How are funding decisions around Head Start and PreK made in other states?
2. What strategies and best practices can PED and CYFD adopt to ensure more efficient and effective fund allocation? 
3. What are best practices from other states to maximize enrollment in high-quality Head Start, PreK, and child care programs?

The Project Outcome

To conduct this research, EduDream reviewed secondary data sources and documents, including state agency documents and data, and interviewed state agency leaders, PreK providers, and Head Start providers across New Mexico.

EduDream created case studies and policy recommendations to improve and expand the coordination of early childhood services and funding. EduDream’s findings and recommendations, along with other consulting research projects, led to the creation of the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department.