KIDS COUNT NEWS
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham will give the keynote address at this year’s New Mexico KIDS COUNT Conference. She will appear in the first of three virtual events that will take place online Aug. 25, Oct. 13, and Dec. 3. The series will address anti-racist policy reforms to improve child well-being and the impacts of COVID-19 and the current recession on children and families in New Mexico.
The first session, titled “Status of Child Well-Being in New Mexico & KIDS COUNT Data Book Release,” is Aug. 25. Governor Lujan Grisham will present “Improving Child Well-Being in New Mexico,” Karina Jimenez Lewis, of the Annie E Casey Foundation, will present “Trends in Child Well-Being and Preparing for a Recovery for Kids,” and Amber Wallin, of NM Voices, will present “KIDS COUNT Data Book Release and Status of Children in NM.”
The second session, “Family Economic Security & State Economic Stability and Recovery,” will feature Stephanie Schardin Clarke, Secretary of the state Taxation & Revenue Department, and Erica Williams, from the Washington, D.C., Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. It is scheduled for Oct. 13.
The third and final session, “Cradle-to-Career Education in the time of COVID-19 and Recession,” will feature Elizabeth Groginsky, Secretary of the Early Childhood Education & Care Department, and a community panel discussing next steps for addressing public education needs in the time of COVID-19.It is scheduled for Dec. 3.
Live Spanish interpretation will be available for all three events, and each event will be introduced with live music by indigenous violinist Sage Cornelius. A schedule of all three sessions, along with information on registration, is attached separately. The 90-minute sessions will be held via Zoom. Tickets are $25 per session or $70 for all three.
New Mexico Voices for Children is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advocating for policies to improve the health and well-being of New Mexico’s children, families and communities. Located at 625 Silver Ave. SW, Suite 195, Albuquerque, NM 87102; 505-244-9505 (p); www.nmvoices.org