Leger Fernández Joined by Early Childhood Education and Development Experts Discuss American Rescue Plan Benefits for New Mexico

Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), New Mexico's Early Childhood Education and Care Department Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky, Lieutenant Governor Howie Morales, and Annette Arellano, a Pre-K teacher from Taos, released the following statements after a virtual press conference on the American Rescue Plan’s impact on early childhood education and development, including funding for Head Start. 

“As a little girl I attended Head Start and fell in love with learning. I know how impactful these programs are for our children and how important it is for our state and our country’s future to invest in our kids’ education. The pandemic has impacted our youngest students. They have lost critical time in the classroom and had to adapt to a new form of learning online - for many kids across New Mexico and in my own district, that presented a big challenge because of their limited access to broadband. The American Rescue Plan invests in our youngest children so that this pandemic does not hold them back. What we are seeing with the Rescue Plan and in New Mexico is government working together for our children. I look forward to continuing to work in Congress to increase funding for early childhood education and complement New Mexico’s efforts,” said Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández

“I am grateful to Congresswoman Leger  Fernández for her leadership in getting help for New Mexico’s families into the federal American Rescue Plan. The American Rescue Plan contains real assistance for families and for the child care sector in our state.  We can use the help, especially in rural New Mexico where the child care market is extremely fragile, and parents struggle to get affordable child care and after-school options for their kids.  This federal aid is right on time after a tough year of pandemic. I appreciate this cooperative partnership between the State and the federal government to make children a top priority,” said Lt. Governor Howie Morales.   

“By providing safe and healthy learning environments for our children throughout this pandemic, early childhood professionals in New Mexico have made an incalculable contribution in the fight against COVID-19 this past year. We must recognize, however, that their perseverance and dedication has come at great cost, straining our early childhood infrastructure in unprecedented ways. These emergency federal relief funds will help New Mexico rebuild its child care capacity, foster a diverse, well-compensated and credentialed early childhood workforce, and ensure that families have access to high-quality early childhood programs and services for years to come,” said Early Childhood Education and Care Department Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky.