Carmella Salinas, a longtime early childhood educator in Española, New Mexico, is joining President Obama and working people from around the country at the White House today for the Summit on Worker Voice.
Salinas, president of PEOPLE for the Kids and a member of New Mexico Early Educators United, an AFT affiliate, came to Washington to talk about how she has helped to create an innovative partnership between educators, parents and early learning center owners to address New Mexico’s crisis in early childhood education.
“I love my kids and am passionate about my job. However, like many early childhood educators across the country, I have to rely on government assistance to make ends meet for my family,” Salinas said. “That is why I became an active member of Early Educators United and helped to form the PEOPLE for the Kids partnership. It’s going to take all of us, working together, parents, educators and small business owners, to raise our collective voice on behalf of New Mexico’s kids and the educators who serve them.”
Currently, New Mexico is ranked 49th in the nation in child well-being, yet the state has a $15 billion education fund that sits unused. Salinas and PEOPLE for the Kids are working with state legislators and other leaders to push for that funding to be used to provide equal access to high-quality early childhood education for all of New Mexico’s children. At the same time, they are organizing center owners, parents and educators to find ways to ensure that educators like herself gain the support and respect they deserve for the important work they do giving our youngest learners a strong start. The PEOPLE for the Kids partnership has grown to include 100 centers, 4,000 parents and 350 educators.
“Ensuring workers can act and speak collectively is key to addressing continued income inequality and stagnant wages,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers. “This summit is a way to elevate that strategy, and we thank the White House for doing it. The Obama administration understands that unions and working people are key partners in bringing back an America that works for everyone. Take Carmella and PEOPLE for the Kids in New Mexico. Their partnership is an example of what happens when key stakeholders in early learning, who elsewhere may have been pitted against each other, work together to do what’s right for all of New Mexico’s kids. This is the new face of labor in the 21st century—finding common ground, identifying real solutions and working together to reclaim the promise of America.”