Lt. Gov. Diane Denish Announces Establishment of NM Early Childhood Partnership

Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish today announced a one-year grant of $400,000 from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation to establish the New Mexico Early Childhood Partnership (NMECP). The NMECP is a public/private partnership between the Lt. Governor’s office and United Way of Santa Fe County intended to develop new and expanded public financing strategies for early childhood development in New Mexico. The partnership will be housed in the United Way of Santa Fe County and will be managed by Lillian Montoya Rael.

“In these challenging economic times it is vital to secure permanent funding for those effective programs that support the healthy growth and development of New Mexico’s children. That is the objective of NMECP and why I am so pleased to have obtained a grant to establish this partnership,” stated Lieutenant Governor Denish in a press release. “New Mexico children (ages birth to five) and their families will benefit from the establishment of this partnership. Our long-term goal is to ensure that children in New Mexico achieve optimal development, health, and social and emotional growth in their early years.”

Katherine Freeman, CEO/President of United Way of Santa Fe County and NMECP chair reports, “It is exciting to be able to continue the public/private partnership with the office of the Lt. Governor in service of sustainable public funding for early childhood development. We are grateful to the W. K. Kellogg Foundation for their support of this initiative in New Mexico.”

The W. K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930. The organization supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the southern African countries of Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. For further information, please visit the Foundation’s website at https://www.wkkf.org.