In a celebration that included Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky, New Mexico's Early Childhood Education and Care Department celebrated its first birthday on July 1, 2021. It has been an exciting year for the new department which has been able to work with partners on a number of initiatives including expanding child care assistance eligibility, establishing tribal liaisons for work on early childhood with NM’s 23 pueblos, tribes and nations, and creating an Equity Council.

Working with a number of early childhood leaders, advocates and providers from across the state, NM’s Prenatal to Three Coalition has just released the Prenatal to Three Guiding Principles for Equity. This toolkit, supported by Pritzker Foundation, includes concrete ways to address racial, economic, linguistic, and other inequities in early childhood. (Text in English and Spanish)

The national Zero to Three conference will be held virtually this year from October 25-29, 2021. With a theme of “Take heart,” the conference is designed to help individuals working with infants and toddlers to learn more about their areas of interest, grow their professional networks, and have the opportunity to delve into topics of interest.

Brindle Foundation is delighted to be supporting participants from the following organizations to attend the conference this year: Casa First Judicial, Early Childhood Center of Excellence/Santa Fe Community College, Esperanza, First Born of Northern NM, Growing Up NM, La Familia Medical Center, Many Mothers, NM Voices for Children, and Think NM