As the owner of a local childcare center, and Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) volunteer, I was thrilled to read that a new early childhood studies research institute will be coming to New Mexico State University (“Generous gift to impact early childhood research at NMSU,” Dec. 14).
One in four kids in New Mexico live in poverty. Early childhood education has proven to lift kids out of poverty and prepare them for success in school and in life. Therefore, New Mexico needs the long-term sustainable solutions, like the fund proposed by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and sponsored by Las Cruces State Rep. Doreen Gallegos. The Early Childhood Education trust fund would not only have far-reaching impact on our kids, but it would also have a positive impact on the overall well-being and economic stability of their parents.