New Mexico Association For The Education Of Young Children

NMAEYC PROMOTES QUALITY CARE AND EDUCATION FOR THE WELL-BEING OF ALL YOUNG CHILDREN, BIRTH TO EIGHT, THROUGH PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND ADVOCACY. NMAEYC PROVIDES DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE AND CULTURALLY SENSITIVE, HIGH QUALITY, AND EARLY CARE.

ADVOCACY:NMAEYC COMMITTED TO ADVOCATING FOR STATE AND FEDERAL POLICIES AS WELL AS SYSTEMS THAT INCREASE ACCESS FOR DIVERSE FAMILIES AND CHILDREN TO PROGRAMS AND OPPORTUNITIES THAT SUPPORT POSITIVE CHILD OUTCOMES. WE ADVOCATED FOR INCREASED WAGES FOR OUR WORKFORCE AND STABILIZATION OF OUR CHILDCARE INDUSTRY. ADVOCACY EFFORTS WERE ACCOMPLISHED VIA CONTACT WITH OUR POLICY MAKERS THROUGH EMAIL AND PHONE. NMAEYC STAFF AND OUR PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE ATTENDED STATE LEGISLATIVE VIRTUAL TOWN HALLS IN THE SPRING AND EARLY SUMMER, AND WE ATTENDED TRAININGS WITH START EARLY AND SCAN. WE ALSO PARTICIPATED IN SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS, PROVIDED MANDATORY ADVOCACY TRAINING TO STAFF AND BOARD MEMBERS AND OFFERED OUR ANNUAL PUBLIC POLICY ROUNDTABLE FREE TO THE COMMUNITY.

THE 2022 FISCAL YEAR BROUGHT NEW SUCCESS AND NEW CHALLENGES TO NMAEYC. WE HOPE TO ILLUSTRATE BOTH SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES IN OUR AFFILIATE STORY.NMAEYC HAS THREE FULL TIME EMPLOYEES: AN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, A FINANCE MANAGER, AND A RESOURCE & DEVELOPMENT MANAGER. NMAEYC DOES HAVE CONTRACT HIRES THAT DO VERY SPECIALIZED WORK SUCH AS TECHNOLOGY, PUBLIC RELATIONS, EVALUATION AND AFP CONSULTANTS. CONTRACT WORK IS VERY LIMITED, THEREFORE, MOST OF THE WORK IS FULFILLED BY THE THREE FULL TIME STAFF. IT IS FULFILLING WORK, AND ALL FTE WEAR MANY HATS IN ORDER TO GET THE WORK DONE! WE HOPE THAT THIS AFFILIATE STORY WILL ADEQUATELY ILLUSTRATE THE HARD WORK ACCOMPLISHED THIS YEAR AS WELL AS CHALLENGES WE FACED.IN FY22, WE FORMED NEW PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER ECE GROUPS AND ORGANIZATIONS. THIS ALLOWED US TO INCREASE OUR CAPACITY SO THAT WE COULD TRULY SERVE ALL OF NEW MEXICO, INCLUDING THOSE RURAL COMMUNITIES, SPANISH SPEAKING AND TRIBAL COMMUNITIES. WE PROVIDED CHILDHOOD PROFESSIONALS AND FAMILIES LOW AND NO-COST LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, VIA CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, AND WEBINARS. THROUGH THIS, WE WERE ABLE TO OFFER NO-COST MEMBERSHIPS. WE ALSO INCREASED OUR ADVOCACY CAPACITY BY PARTNERING WITH OTHER ADVOCATES WITH LIKE MISSIONS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD AND CHILD WELL-BEING. NMAEYC STAFF & BOARD CONTINUED OUR DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION AND BELONGING (DEIB) COMMITMENT. WE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT A KEY COMPONENT TO THE CULTURAL, PROGRAMMING, AND SYSTEM SHIFTS WAS ENSURING THAT DEIB WAS AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE WORK FOR AND TOWARDS. WE ARE ACTIVELY WORKING ON OUR BOARD BY-LAWS AND ALL NMAEYC POLICIES TO ENSURE WE INCLUDE DEIB COMMITMENTS AND STATEMENTS IN OUR FORMAL AND ESTABLISHED POLICIES. RECRUITMENT OF BOARD MEMBERS FOR ELECTION OCCURRED IN MARCH AND NEW BOARD MEMBERS WERE ELECTED AND BROUGHT ON BOARD IN JULY. BOARD MEMBERS ON OUR BOARD SERVE FROM ALL REGIONS OF THE STATE AND FROM A VARIETY OF PROFESSIONAL POSITIONS WITHIN EARLY CHILDHOOD. MEMBERSHIP: DURING FY22 WE WORKED WITH OUR PARTNERS ON OUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS TO OFFER NO-COST MEMBERSHIPS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS. THE UNDERWRITING FOR THE MEMBERSHIP FEES WERE GENEROUSLY PROVIDED FOR BY OUR FUNDERS AT THE LANL FOUNDATION, NM OIL AND GAS AND NTEC. IN ADDITION, WE OFFERED FREE ENTRY LEVEL MEMBERSHIPS WITH OUR CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS THESE WERE FUNDED FOR ENTIRELY BY THE BRINDLE FOUNDATION.REGARDING MEMBERSHIP GROWTH AND RETENTION, NMAEYC STRUGGLED A BIT WITH RETENTION, WE ATTRIBUTE THIS TO THE FACT THAT OUR MEMBERSHIP GREW WITH THE NO-COST MEMBERSHIPS AND WE NEED TO WORK HARD TO NOW RETAIN THEM. THEREFORE, WE BEGAN A NEW RETENTION PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDED PRIZES OF GIFT CARDS TO A LOCAL RESTAURANT, AND FREE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION IF THOSE LAPSED MEMBERS RENEWED. OUR GROWTH SPURRED FROM THE MEMBERSHIPS OFFERED WITH ALL OUR WORKSHOPS. WE PLAN ON EXPANDING ON OUR EFFORTS IN THE NEW FY, WITH A GOAL OF INCREASING MEMBERSHIP TO 1,000. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT MONTHLY WORKSHOPS:RECOGNIZING THAT NMAEYC MUST BE REFLECTIVE OF ALL THE COMMUNITIES WE SERVE. THIS PAST YEAR, WE PROVIDED SERVICES AND SUPPORT TO AS MUCH OF THE STATE VIA VIRTUAL MEANS. NMAEYCS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS CONTINUED TO EXPAND AS ONE OF OUR PRIMARY CONNECTIONS WITH THE EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMUNITY. DURING THIS PAST YEAR, WE HELD 24 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS ACROSS A VARIETY OF TOPICS INCLUDING STEM, TRAUMA INFORMED, SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL), AND APPLIED BEHAVIORAL ANALYSIS (ABA) FOR THOSE WORKING WITH YOUTH ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM. THESE WORKSHOPS SERVED 711 EDUCATORS AND CARE PROVIDERS ALL OVER NEW MEXICO. ALL OF OUR WORKSHOPS HAVE BEEN FUNDED ENTIRELY BY A VARIETY OF FUNDERS AND THEREFORE, THIS IS THE THIRD YEAR WE OFFER ALL OF THESE FOR FREE TO BOTH MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS. OVERALL NMAEYC, WITH A FULL TIME STAFF OF 3, AND A BOARD OF 15 MEMBERS SERVED 1,525 EDUCATORS AND CARE PROVIDERS ACROSS THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO IN FY21-22. ANNUAL CONFERENCE:NMAEYC HOSTED THE LARGEST EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CONFERENCE IN THE STATE AT THE STUDENT UNION BUILDING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO ON APRIL 1ST AND 2ND, 2022 WELCOMING 814 REGISTRANTS FROM ACROSS THE STATE. THE CONFERENCE THEME WAS RESILIENCE: RECHARGE & ELECTRIFY OUR PRECONFERENCE CONSISTED OF 4 ALL DAY WORKSHOPS INCLUDING: EXPLORA STEM, MOVEMENT IN MEDICINE AND TRAUMA INFORMED. OUR PRECONFERENCE WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL AS WE HAD 300 IN ATTENDANCE. PAST YEARS ATTENDANCE AVERAGED AROUND 100 ATTENDEES. THE CONFERENCE PLANNING COMMITTEE AND BOARD DID RAISE REGISTRATION PRICES BY $10 IN EACH CATEGORY. WE MADE A $45,000 PROFIT WITH OUR CONFERENCE. OUR MAIN CONFERENCE WAS WELL ATTENDED, AND WE RECEIVED GREAT FEEDBACK. THE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK RECEIVED HAD TO DO WITH DIFFICULTY PARKING AT THE UNIVERSITY AND SOME OVER-FILLED SESSIONS WHERE THERE WAS STANDING ROOM ONLY. WITH GENEROUS SPONSORSHIPS FOR CONFERENCE, NMAEYC WAS ABLE TO OFFER SPANISH INTERPRETATION AND PROVIDE 85 SCHOLARSHIPS FOR RURAL AND LOW-INCOME CENTERS TO ATTEND CONFERENCE. THE KEYNOTE WE SELECTED WAS INCREDIBLY POPULAR AND WELL RECEIVED DR. JOHN HODGE. WE OFFERED 72 CONCURRENT SESSIONS, THE MOST SESSIONS WEVE OFFERED. FUNDRAISING: NMAEYC SOUGHT FUNDING FROM ESTABLISHED AND NEW FUNDERS AND CONDUCTED A NUMBER OF FUNDRAISING EVENTS. WE CONTINUED TO SEEK FUNDING TO PROVIDE BROAD OFFERING OF PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES AND CRITICAL SUPPORT SERVICES TO EARLY CHILDHOOD AND CHILDCARE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE STATE OF NEW MEXICO. THIS PAST YEAR, WE WORKED SUCCESSFULLY TO ALLOW THE EC COMMUNITY TO ATTEND OUR PROGRAMS WITHOUT FACING COST BARRIERS, FOR BOTH MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS, AS WELL AS INCREASING OUR REACH TO THE PUEBLOS, NAVAJO NATION AND SPANISH SPEAKING COMMUNITIES. THE W.K. KELLOGG ORGANIZATION AND THE WALMART COMMUNITY FOUNDATION CONTINUE TO PROVIDE GENERAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT TO NMAEYC AS THEY HAVE IN PAST YEARS. NMAEYC PARTNERS WITH THE NAVAJO TRANSITIONAL ENERGY COMPANY (NTEC) AND THE LOS ALAMOS NATIONAL LABORATORY (LANL) FOUNDATION FOR PROGRAMS TARGETING TRIBAL, RURAL, AND HISPANIC POPULATIONS IN NORTHWESTERN AND NORTH-CENTRAL NEW MEXICO, RESPECTIVELY. NMAEYC WAS PLEASED TO RECEIVE NEW FUNDING FROM THE SANTA FE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE THORNBURG FOUNDATION TO ASSIST NMAEYC WITH PREPARING AND APPLYING FOR FEDERAL GRANTS. ANOTHER NEW GRANTOR IS THE NEW MEXICO OIL AND GAS ASSOCIATION WHICH PROVIDED PROGRAM FUNDING FOR SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING WORK. OTHER FUNDRAISING EFFORTS INCLUDE SOCIAL MEDIA CROWD FUNDING, FUNDRAISERS WITH LOCAL BUSINESS, ANNUAL APPEAL, GIVING TUESDAY AND VARIOUS SPONSORSHIPS FOR OUR CONFERENCE.