New Mexico Speaker of the House, Javier Martinez, spoke at the recent US Senate's Joint Economic Committee hearing on the Building Blocks for Success: Investing in Early Childhood Education.
Martinez began with his background
“I am also the son of hardworking immigrant parents. It’s a testament to my parents and their belief in the American Dream that I am where I am today. I chose a life in public service because I, too, believe in the power of the American Dream. I want all families to be able to achieve what my parents did and create a better life for their kids.”
He presented a summary of early childhood in New Mexico.
“Allow me to paint a brief picture of early childhood in New Mexico. Every year there are roughly 22,000 that are born in our state. Many of these children face enormous challenges from the onset. 80% of births in New Mexico are paid for by Medicaid dollars, so that tells you the level of poverty that we’re dealing with. In addition, more than half of the births in New Mexico, year to year, are to a single parent household.”
Martinez said New Mexico has made progress in addressing early childhood education.
“In 2019, we launched a cabinet-level Early Childhood Education and Care Department, so that there’s someone in our state whose job it is to make sure we meet the needs of all of New Mexico's children in their most formative years.The research shows that the most impactful time to invest in a child is between the ages of birth and 3 because that's when 80% of brain development takes place. In 2020 we established the Early Childhood Trust Fund, Which makes annual distributions of 5% for early childhood programs. And as the Chairman [Sen. Martin Heinrich] Mentioned by a wide bipartisan margin, voters in New Mexico approved a landmark constitutional amendment which guarantees all children in the state the right to an early childhood education.“
