ECECD Early Childhood Community Newsletter: Monday, December 22, 2025
What's Inside: Universal Child Care Community Voices and Welcome ECECD New CIO + more
The full-text version of the ECECD Early Childhood Community Newsletter is available on the ECECD website here . La versión completa del Boletín semanal sobre el cuidado de los niños está disponible en el sitio web del ECECD aquí .
Featured Story
Governor Lujan Grisham’s 2025 Child Care Summit
On December 17, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham hosted the Child Care Summit at the Governor’s Residence, convening state, local, Tribal, and national leaders to advance solutions for expanding child care across New Mexico. Co-hosted by the Governor’s Office, the Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD), and the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), the summit focused on building child care supply, strengthening the workforce, and unlocking capital to better support families and providers statewide.
The agenda featured a national overview of the child care landscape, panels examining how government policies impact supply building, and cross-sector discussions on financing child care facilities and workforce development. The day concluded with local-level action planning and a discussion of priorities and next steps for New Mexico’s child care system.
Thank you to our partners and panelists for participating in the summit. See more highlights and photos on our social media channels at @NewMexicoECECD .
New Mexico Higher Education Department Secretary Stephanie Rodriguez is pictured with ECECD Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky following her panel on unlocking capital to support child care supply at Governor Lujan Grisham’s Child Care Summit.
Kathy DeSoto-Strickland of the New Mexico Association for the Education of Young Children facilitated the Building the Child Care Workforce panel with Catron Allred (Santa Fe Community College), Bisa Lewis (Council for Professional Recognition), and Nicolas Kennedy (CNM Ingenuity) at Governor Lujan Grisham’s Child Care Summit.
December 22, 2025
What's Inside?
1. Reminders/Announcements
2. Events
3. Professional Development
5. Boletín en Español
Reminders/Announcements
Announcing ECECD’s New Chief Information Officer
Please join ECECD in welcoming Dr. Sean Pearson as ECECD’s new Chief Information Officer.
Dr. Pearson joins the ECECD leadership team with an extensive background in statewide information technology (IT) leadership. Throughout his career, he has successfully overseen large enterprise portfolios, established robust project management offices, and created statewide IT governance structures. Most recently, he has been a leader in multi-agency data-sharing and interoperability efforts, which are vital to the department's mission of creating a seamless service framework for New Mexico families.
A Vision for Data and Innovation Dr. Pearson’s expertise will be instrumental in strengthening ECECD’s IT infrastructure. His leadership will focus on several key areas of the department’s strategic plan, including:
Systems Integration: Modernizing technology to better connect families with services.
Enterprise Data Governance: Ensuring data accuracy and security across all programs.
Human-Centered Design: Developing tools and platforms that are intuitive and accessible for both staff and providers.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Pearson to the team as we continue to innovate and improve the early childhood ecosystem in New Mexico.
Funding Announcement: Scratch Cooking Pilot Program
Is your early childhood center committed to serving freshly prepared, nutritious meals? ECECD is now accepting applications for the Scratch Cooking Pilot Program!
This initiative is a unique opportunity for Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) participating centers to earn higher reimbursements while serving fresh, healthy meals to New Mexico’s children.
Why Should Your Center Apply?
Earn More: Receive an additional $0.65 reimbursement for every lunch and supper meal that meets scratch-cooking criteria.
Get Recognized: Earn a "Scratch Cooking Nutrition Badge" to showcase your commitment to quality care to families and the community.
Start-Up Support: Apply for one-time funding (up to $50,000) to assist with kitchen equipment, staff training, or minor facility upgrades.
Eligibility Requirements: To qualify, centers must participate in CACFP, serve lunch or supper, and operate a permitted self-prep kitchen (either on-site or via a central kitchen).
How to Apply: Applications are due by Wednesday, January 7, 2026.
Review Program Details
Complete the Application
For questions regarding the application process, please contact Anna Martin at anna.martin@ececd.nm.gov .
View more reminders on the full-text version of the Weekly Child Care newsletter.
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Nearly 1,000 Strong and Growing: Take the Universal Child Care Pledge
Sacred Beginnings Learning Tour Continues Across New Mexico
Nurturing Native Language Learning from the Earliest Stages
New RFP: Infant and Toddler Contracted Slots Pilot Program
New Mexico PreK Reaches New Milestones in Quality and Inclusion
New Mexico Department of Health Helpline Now Accepts Text Messages
Record-Breaking Success for New Mexico Early Learning Centers at Golden Chile Awards
Universal Child Care Driving Growth in Grants
New Mexico’s Top Baby Names of 2025
View More Reminders
New Community Voices: Sharing the Impact of Universal Child Care
ECECD is proud to introduce a new storytelling initiative dedicated to bringing the real-world experiences of New Mexico families to the forefront. This project highlights how UCC is providing essential support to working parents and caregivers across the state.
Our first feature introduces Karen Sanchez , an academic advisor and mother from Sunland Park, N.M. As a parent in a family of four, Karen shares how Universal Child Care has allowed her children to thrive in high-quality early learning environments while providing her…