Speaker Martínez Provides Powerful Congressional Testimony on New Mexico’s Investments in Early Childhood Education
Washington, D.C. – Today, New Mexico Speaker of the House Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque) testified to the United States Congress Joint Economic Committee about the state’s transformational investments in early childhood education.
The Committee, chaired by Senator Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico), heard from experts about the importance of investing in early childhood education. Speaker Martínez spoke about how New Mexico became a national leader in the movement to ensure every child has access to early childhood education and care.
“For over a decade, a diverse coalition of community champions patiently and persistently built political will to do something big, bold, and significant on early childhood education in New Mexico,” said Speaker Martínez. “Now, we are steadily rebuilding the village it takes to raise a child, so we can give all our kids the fair shot they deserve in life.”
New Mexico is making historic strides in investing in its children and working families. In 2022, New Mexico became the first state to guarantee a constitutional right to early childhood education and care. The state is also providing millions in sustained funding to make these critical programs affordable and accessible for all New Mexicans through both the Early Childhood Trust Fund and the Land Grant Permanent fund.
Additionally, New Mexico established a cabinet-level Early Childhood Education and Care Department in 2019, to make sure the state meets the needs of all of New Mexico's children in their most formative years. The state has greatly expanded eligibility for childcare assistance and reduced the tax burden on private child care providers who offer subsidized care to families in need.
In recent years, state lawmakers have also passed one of the most generous child income tax credits in the nation and made record investments to improve access to affordable housing and healthcare, including behavioral health and substance use treatment, to support family health and stability.
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