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Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Report Criticizes State Children's Programs
By Juan Carlos Rodriguez
Journal Staff Writer
New Mexico's early childhood programs are poorly coordinated, and some spend too much on administrative costs, according to a government report.
The Legislative Finance Committee studied the spectrum of early childhood programs offered by the state and federal governments, such as pre-K education, prenatal health care and child care. Its report said a solid body of research shows that investment in such programs can significantly improve children's lives, but that in New Mexico, there is more to be done to make the programs as effective as they can be.
There are seven major preschool programs available in New Mexico, including federal Head Start, NM Pre-K, and state Head Start, the report said.
Those programs cost around $81.4 million in 2007-08, but about $4.2 million could have been saved had the state reduced duplicated services and administrative costs, the report said.
It said the Children, Youth and Families and Public Education departments had spent nearly twice as much as they should have on administrative expenses. By law, administrative costs should not exceed 10 percent of a program's budget.
While some of that is due to getting the NM Pre-K program off the ground, the committee said the costs should now be cut.
The departments, in a written response, disputed those figures, saying the committee included items as administrative costs that should not have been, such as technical assistance, professional development and data collection. They said they have never exceeded 7 percent for what they consider administrative costs.
The response, signed by CYFD Secretary Dorian Dodson, PED Secretary Veronica Garcia, Department of Health Secretary Alfredo Vigil and Human Services Department Secretary Pamela Hyde, said the agencies work together to ensure programs are available throughout the state for a wide variety of people, and that the current structure works fine.
The LFC also said prenatal health care services should be improved, pointing to state statistics that show 28 percent of New Mexican women receive either inadequate or no prenatal health care. The rate for American Indian women is 39 percent. In addition, teen pregnancies in New Mexico are 60 percent higher than the national average.
The report said the state should invest more in comprehensive prenatal care, and a new "Early Childhood Collaborative," made up of the cabinet secretaries, should coordinate programming, funding and reports to legislators.
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