Heinrich hears from advocates on New Mexico’s biggest challenges for kids

By Jesse Jones, The Paper. — The challenges facing New Mexico children took center stage as U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich met with children’s advocates to discuss education, health care and financial stability. The numbers show why: A single parent raising one child needs nearly $68,000 a year to cover basic costs, and 1 in 4 New Mexico children lives in poverty, according to a New Mexico Voices for Children report used to frame the discussion.

Heinrich joined New Mexico Voices for Children and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation today for a roundtable at the Resilience Hub in Downtown Albuquerque focused on the group’s Children’s Roadmap report. Released in June, the 44-page report examines New Mexico’s progress and gaps in education, health care and family economic security. It recommends strengthening the early childhood workforce, expanding access to high-quality education, improving preventive, maternal and behavioral health care, increasing family incomes and expanding access to public benefits and tax credits. Representatives from New Mexico Voices for Children, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Transform Education New Mexico, Changing Women Initiative, Breath My Heart Birthplace, Future Focused Education and UNM’s Department of Pediatrics joined the discussion.

Heinrich said he ignored early career advice to “stay in his lane” and focus strictly on federal policy, which led him into New Mexico’s early prekindergarten push. He credited the state Legislature for stepping in to “backfill” what he called “ridiculous cuts to SNAP and Medicaid” out of Washington. Emily Wildau, New Mexico Voices for Children’s director of policy and one of the report’s authors, said the state’s biggest unfinished task is addressing an “infrastructure deficit” — a shortage of pediatricians, OB-GYNs and child care providers in many rural counties. “That’s probably the biggest piece of work, because infrastructure takes time and is expensive,” she said. Gabrielle Uballez, the group’s executive director, framed the report’s approach for Heinrich this way: “Every policy decision that we make should ask the question: How does this improve the life of a child?”

The report credits New Mexico with becoming the first state to offer universal child care and increasing K-12 funding by 77% over the past decade. But those investments have not reached every family equally. According to the report, single-parent households meet just 27% of a living wage. The median net worth of New Mexico households with children is $77,500, less than half the national figure. “Families are not making living wages; costs continue to rise,” Wildau said, adding that raising family incomes is essential to moving the state forward.

Advocates pointed to remaining gaps in the state’s child care system. Jacob Vigil, New Mexico Voices for Children’s chief legislative officer, said lawmakers approved a plan last session to help child care workers earn more and move up in their careers, but officials have not implemented it. Denicia Cadena of Breath My Heart Birthplace said low Medicaid reimbursement rates are also making it harder for providers to stay in the field. She said a gap that leaves midwives unpaid after a hospital transfer is part of the problem, even though states have flexibility to fix it.

The roundtable came as some federal programs highlighted in the report face funding uncertainty. Heinrich has repeatedly challenged the Trump administration over delays and cuts to Head Start. In July 2023, the Government Accountability Office found that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services violated federal law by withholding Head Start funds, according to Heinrich’s office.

• Get involved: New Mexico Voices for Children is hosting Children’s Roadmap community meetings across the state through November, with upcoming stops in Farmington, Taos, Roswell and Las Cruces. Visit nmvoices.org for dates, locations and registration details.
• Learn more: Read the full New Mexico Children’s Roadmap report from New Mexico Voices for Children and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.