General

Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
New Mexico PreK

State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
New Mexico Public Education DepartmentChildren, Youth and Families Department

Availability of program:
54 out of 89 school districts (61%)1

Are districts, counties, or towns in New Mexico required to offer this pre-kindergarten initiative?
No, competitive

Hours of operation per day:
Determined locally, Most common schedule is 3 to 3.5 hours per day2

Is there a formal partnership at the state level to provide extended day services through collaboration with other agencies and programs?
No2

Enrollment

Fall 2013, Total children:
7,674

Fall 2011, by age:
7,674 4-year-olds

Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 4,230; Nonpublic schools, 3,444

Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
Determined locally, 7,674

Eligibility

Minimum age for eligibility:
4 by August 31

Maximum age for eligibility:
4 years, 11 months by August 31

Kindergarten eligibility age:
5 by August 31

Does state policy allow any exceptions to the age requirement for prekindergarten or kindergarten eligibility?
No

State policy on enrolling children in state pre-K when they are eligible for kindergarten:
Children may not enroll in pre-K if they are age-eligible for kindergarten

Aside from age, how is eligibility determined for individual children for this state prekindergarten initiative?
All age-eligible children in districts offering the program, or in the entire state, may enroll3

What was the state-specified income requirement during the 2013-14 program year?
No income requirement

To whom, or to what percentage of children, does the income requirement apply?

Is there a sliding payment scale based on income?
No

Is child eligibility for this state prekindergarten initiative ever reassessed after a child has been enrolled in the program?
No

Risk Factors

Risk factors besides income that can be used to determine eligibility:
Not applicable

How many of the specified risk factors must be present for eligibility?
NA

How do these risk factors relate to the income cutoff for the state pre-K program?
No income requirement

Class Sizes

Maximum class size:
4-year-olds, 20

Staff-child ratio requirement:
4-year-olds, 1 to 10

Teachers

Minimum teacher degree requirement:
BA (public); HSD or Equivalent (nonpublic)9

Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Public: EC (Birth to 3rd Grade)9

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 by percent:
HSD, 13%; CDA, 6%; AA, 11%; BA, 48%; MA, 22%

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 totals:
HSD, 44; CDA, 19; AA, 36; BA, 159; MA, 72

Teacher in-service requirement:
45 clock hours per year

Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
AA (public); HSD or Equivalent (nonpublic)10

Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
Public: Education Assistant (PreK-12)

Services

Meal requirement:
At least one meal per day, breakfast or lunch depending on schedule.4

Support services for English Language Learners and families:
Bilingual non-English classes are permitted in pre-K; Monolingual non-English classes are permitted in pre-K; State policy does not regulate services for English Language Learners6

Support services required for all programs:
Parenting support or training; Parent involvement activities; Child health services; Nutrition information; Referral for social services; Transition to K activities; Parent conferences and/or home visits7

Regulations

Screening and referral requirements:
Required: Vision; Hearing; Height/Weight/BMI; Blood pressure; Immunizations; Full physical exam; Developmental; Dental; Locally determined: Psychological/Behavioral; Other5

State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
New Mexico Early Learning Guidelines: Birth to Kindergarten

For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
https://www.newmexicoprek.org/index.cfm?event=public.prek.MaterialsTeacher8

Funding

Days per week the state prekindergarten initiative is funded to operate using state funds:
Determined locally2

Annual operating schedule for this state-funded prekindergarten initiative:
Academic year

Actual fiscal year 2014 spending for this state prekindergarten initiative:
$27,280,800

All funding sources:
State, $27,280,800

State funding sources and amounts:
State General Fund, $27,280,800

Federal funding sources and amounts:
None

Is funding for this state prekindergarten initiative determined by a school funding or state aid formula?
No

Agencies eligible to receive funding directly:
Public schools, Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers, Family CC, Other settings: Regional Education Cooperatives, Municipalities, Universities, Charter Schools, Bureau of Indian Education Schools, Tribes

Agencies with which subcontracting is permitted:
Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers, Family CC, Other settings: Municipalities and universities

Is there a required local match for this program?
No

Select a state program to view details.


New Mexico Footnotes

  1. An increase in the appropriation for New Mexio PreK resulted in new programs in 10 additional school districts.
  2. The state funds 450 instructional hours per school year. Hours per day vary by program. The most common schedule is 5 days per week. Some private or non-profit facilities use partial day Child Care Subsidy for wrap-around care to assist parents who qualify or offer reduced rates for private pay. PreK programs in public schools can extend the day using operational funds or Title I funds. CYFD offered a 450-hour, extended-day summer program for 56 children at three sites.
  3. All age-eligible children in locations offering the program are eligible. Funding priority is given to all age-eligible children who will attend kindergarten at Title I schools. At least 66 percent of children attending the program must live within an attendance zone of a Title I elementary school.
  4. At least one meal per day, breakfast or lunch depending on schedule.
  5. Individual physician protocols may vary to include psychosocial/behavioral or other screening. Some programs choose to administer a psychosocial/behavioral screening.
  6. In the absence of state legislation or policy regarding provisions for ELL families in PreK programs, the New Mexico Department of Education and the New Mexico PreK Program Standards provide guidance on effective practices and program requirements to all programs receiving state pre-K funding. Funding is used to support monolingual Spanish and dual-language classrooms with information submitted in the program’s application to state agencies.
  7. Education services or job training for parents are not required; programs are encouraged to provide support for families in need of either.
  8. The currently posted Early Learning Guidelines document was revised in July 2014.
  9. Lead teachers in public school programs must have a bachelor’s degree and licensure in early childhood education. Teachers who have an elementary education or special education license are required to take a minimum of 6 credit hours of ECE coursework annually. Teachers in nonpublic school settings should, but are not required to, have a bachelor’s degree and are required to take at least 6 credit hours annually and have a professional development plan to complete the degree in ECE.
  10. Programs are permitted to hire an assistant teacher without the AA degree, provided the person has an approved professional development plan to achieve the requirement by successfully completing a minimum of six college credit hours each year.
  11. The New Mexico PreK program will participate in the new FOCUS TQRIS program as part of the Race to the Top Grant awarded to the state of New Mexico with piloting scheduled for Spring 2015. QRIS measures are for non-public programs only.
  12. This PreK initiative has been evaluated in the past; four-year study of child outcomes and classroom observation was started in 2008-2009 but discontinued due to funding.
  13. New Mexico PreK Observational Assessment
  14. The Public Education Department require schools with full-day kindergarten programs to conduct age-appropriate assessments to determine the placement of students at instructional level and the effectiveness of child-centered, developmentally appropriate kindergarten. There is not a specific kindergarten assessment required by the Public Education Department. Most districts use DIBELS Next to assess early literacy. Various other assessments are used. NM Administrative Code 6.30.5.12 requires that districts assess children by September 30 and again by April 30.