OPINION: Investing in the youngest New Mexicans is a safe bet

New Mexico children face plenty of obstacles, evidenced by the state’s low rankings in childhood wellbeing, education and poverty, not to mention the juvenile crime rates. For decades, lawmakers have debated how to break these cycles with little improvement. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham last week announced a bold plan to move the needle: universal early childhood care. We think it has the potential to change the tide.

The benefits of early childhood education are grounded in years of research, both locally and nationally. Nearly 20 years ago, under former Gov. Bill Richardson, a study began on the first children who received state-funded early childhood education. The kiddos were tracked through their young lives, and the results were promising: an 80% high school graduation rate, more than six percentage points better than children who didn’t get pre-K schooling.

The results were even better for English-language learners and students from low-income families. Analysts found those children’s graduation rates were 11 percentage points better than their peers. Another benefit was a reduction in chronic absenteeism, a persistent and stubborn problem that continues to scuttle efforts to improve Albuquerque Public Schools, the state’s largest school district.

In 2019, the state expanded free early childhood care to families making up to 400% of the federal poverty line. The move last week by the governor will expand that program to more working-class families, who are forced to do unnecessary math to determine if one parent should stay in the work force (New Mexico has one of the lowest workforce participation rates in the country) or quit a job and care for their children. The governor highlighted a particular family: Two Santa Fe teachers who combine to make about $133,000, putting the family several thousand dollars over the 400% poverty line limit.

“I can’t lose any more teachers and first responders,” Lujan Grisham told the Journal Editorial Board.

We agree. As a secondary benefit, we think the policy will make our state more attractive to young professionals and families who our state needs to attract to become more competitive with neighboring states. Because of decisions to expand early childhood education and the creation of the Opportunity Scholarship, young families now have a safety net, knowing that they have state support for their children through college. Shore up K-12 education, and New Mexico will look a lot better on paper than it does now.

State officials said free early childhood care saves families on average $12,000 a year — that’s money that will go back into the economy.

Critics point to the cost of such an expansion, and question why state funds would go to families who are better off than others. New Mexico will, as usual, fund the program through permanent funds that rely heavily on oil and gas revenues, making them volatile to market swings. But our funds are flush right now because of the prolific activity in the Permian Basin. If there ever was a prudent use of our volatile resources, it’s investing in our children and future.

We’ve seen plenty of times when our state funneled money into debatable endeavors, like the film industry, electric vehicle programs and abortion clinics. If we’re going to throw resources at anything, why not make it kids?

New Mexico says it will need an additional 5,000 early childhood professionals to fill a gap that will be created by expanding free services to more families. And Lujan Grisham said that local colleges and universities, like Central New Mexico Community College, are expanding programs to professionalize and grow the workforce that caters to our youngest residents.

We understand that challenges and questions remain. The state needs to ensure that increasing quantity doesn’t hurt quality. And there must be safeguards in place with the rollout so the poorest New Mexicans don’t lose opportunities by expanding eligibility to higher earners. The success or failure of this experiment won’t be fully realized for years. But what if six years from now we look back on last week’s announcement as a turning point? What if this investment snowballs and helps to improve K-12 education and reduces juvenile crime?

The governor is betting that her legacy will be healthier children, stronger families and a more prosperous state.

That’s a bet worth making.