Albuquerque, NM - A delegation representing eight foundations and organizations from New Mexico will be participating in the National Summit on Hispanic Early Learning being held by the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics (WHIEEH) and the President’s Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics (Commission) on Wednesday, September 18th at Miami-Dade College in Florida.
The purpose of the Summit is to discuss how to prepare Latino children and improve their education performance. The conference will focus on the results of children receiving high-quality early learning; highlight the President’s FY14 Budget Proposal Preschool for All initiative, expansion of the voluntary home visiting program and the early head-start child care partnerships; encourage the private and philanthropic sectors to increase investments in quality early learning for Hispanic children, complementing federal investments, and to encourage Hispanic media to dedicate resources to raise awareness about the importance of quality early learning among Hispanic families.
Adrian Pedroza, who was appointed by President Obama to the Commission in 2011 and serves as Executive Director of the Partnership for Community Actions in Albuquerque, NM says, “New Mexico will be well represented at this Summit by leaders from our state who work tirelessly to ensure children have a strong start in life. Participating in the Summit will produce stronger national partnerships in our efforts to build a strong, quality, and adequately funded early learning system in New Mexico from pre-natal stages to pre-kindergarten.”
"New Mexico must step up its commitment to early childhood development. Our communities can overcome decades of poverty in one generation," says House Majority Whip Antonio Maestas. “Utilizing 1% of the state's land grant permanent fund and investing it in our children makes perfect sense. We must put ideology aside and use common sense.”
The agenda includes panel discussions on the following topics: What Works: Evidence-Based Programs and Practices; Investments in Early Learning: Foundations for Success; and Early Learning and Latinos: The Economic/Business and National Security Case.
Summit participants will be addressed by Martha Kanter, Undersecretary, U.S. Department of Education; Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President for Education, The White House Domestic Policy Council; and Alejandra Ceja, Executive Director, WHIEEH.
New Mexico foundations and organizations represented at the Summit include: Partnership for Community Action, St. Joseph Community Health, United Way of Central NM, Thornburg Foundation, McCune Charitable Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundations, Early Educators United, UNM Center for Education and Policy Research, and New Mexico Legislators House Majority Whip Antonio Maestas and Senator Michael Padilla.
A post summit reception will be sponsored by New Mexico’s largest home visitation provider, St. Joseph Community Health.