{"id":611265,"date":"2018-08-06T16:13:50","date_gmt":"2018-08-06T22:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=611265"},"modified":"2018-08-06T16:13:50","modified_gmt":"2018-08-06T22:13:50","slug":"las-cruces-schools-set-up-first-prek-classes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2018\/08\/las-cruces-schools-set-up-first-prek-classes\/","title":{"rendered":"Las Cruces schools set up first PreK classes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_611268\"  class=\"wp-caption module image alignnone\" style=\"max-width: 771px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-611268\" src=\"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/NMPreKLCPS1-1170x878-771x579.jpg\" alt=\"Heleme Brinkerhoff\" width=\"771\" height=\"579\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/NMPreKLCPS1-1170x878-771x579.jpg 771w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/NMPreKLCPS1-1170x878-336x252.jpg 336w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/NMPreKLCPS1-1170x878-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/NMPreKLCPS1-1170x878.jpg 1170w, https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/NMPreKLCPS1-1170x878-800x600.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><p class=\"wp-media-credit\">Sylvia Ulloa \/ New Mexico In Depth<\/p><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Heleme Brinkerhoff has organized her story books by the months she wants to read them to her New Mexico PreK students. Las Cruces Public Schools was part of an expansion of the program to districts across the state.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Heleme Brinkerhoff, Sonoma Elementary\u2019s first New Mexico PreK teacher, spent last Wednesday morning setting up her classroom, a project that\u2019s taken about two weeks. There were the magnetic tiles and blocks to sort, a puppet theater to put up, and books, crayons, scissors and crafting materials to organize.<\/p>\n<p>A longtime kindergarten teacher, Brinkerhoff said she loved little children and play-based learning, so she was excited for the chance to prepare 4-year-olds academically, socially and emotionally for their K through 12 educations. \u201cIt\u2019s like my dreams came true,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to taking it down a notch,\u201d Brinkerhoff said. \u201cI know where they need to be in kindergarten, which I think is totally going to benefit me. I want to make sure I am able to bring it down to the 4-year-old level.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This week she and other New Mexico PreK teachers and teaching assistants at seven elementaries at Las Cruces Public Schools will be in training for the upcoming school year. The pre-approval process for registration is going on now.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"module align-left half type-aside\">\n<h3>About this article<\/h3>\n<p>This article comes from\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmindepth.com\/2018\/08\/03\/las-cruces-schools-set-up-first-nm-prek-classes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Mexico In Depth<\/a>. Sign up for\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmindepth.us6.list-manage.com\/subscribe?u=1d2ab093d81b992e50978b363&amp;id=9294743d38\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">their newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p>The new preschool classes are part of the Public Education Department\u2019s $4.37 million\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.abqjournal.com\/1170288\/ped-adding-more-money-for-state-prek.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">expansion<\/a> to 11 school districts that didn\u2019t have NM PreK programs in place, and part of a larger $10 million boost to the program across New Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>That expansion has opened up preschool opportunities for 124 children in the district.<\/p>\n<p>Sonoma Principal Melissa Galaz didn\u2019t really have room at her school in the city\u2019s fast-growing East Mesa \u2014 \u00a0it\u2019s jam packed with students and teachers and is the second largest elementary in the district. But she considers herself an early education proponent and she made space.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have quite a few parents who were interested in having that, and their children didn\u2019t qualify for either Head Start or DD Pre,\u201d Galaz said, about programs specifically for low-income and developmentally delayed children.<\/p>\n<p>The district has been steadily expanding its Head Start program. When Maria Artiaga became LCPS\u2019 Head Start director in 2013, there were 10 classrooms. Last year, there were 18, and there will be 21 in the year ahead. But Head Start is mostly limited to children from families below the federal poverty line, or to children who are homeless, in foster care or on public assistance. DD Pre works to prepare children with developmental delays for school. New Mexico PreK is open to every child, regardless of family income, though the program is targeted to schools with a high percentage of children who qualify for free or reduced price lunch.<\/p>\n<p>Artiaga, who is now director of federal programs for the district, said that between Head Start, New Mexico PreK and DD Pre, there will be preschool classes in all but two of the district\u2019s 20 elementary schools. Fairacres and Central do not have space for preschool classrooms, though the district is hoping to change that.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Artiaga said LCPS will fill its Head Start classrooms first, then assign children to NM PreK based on a random selection of pre-approved applications \u2014 and try to place children in the school they are set to attend for kindergarten through fifth grade. She said the state made clear it didn\u2019t want NM PreK slots taking the place of Head Start.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat they don\u2019t want to see is fighting for kids,\u201d she said. In three areas of the state, New Mexico PreK classes have ended up\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nmlegis.gov\/Entity\/LFC\/Documents\/Program_Evaluation_Reports\/2016%20Early%20Childhood%20Accountability%20Report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">supplanting Head Start<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 with New Mexico sending back valuable federal dollars for preschool services in a state where only about a third of children are getting them and 34 percent of children under 5 live in poverty.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s completely unnecessary, Artiaga said. Last year, the LCPS Head Start program received more than 700 applications for its 413 spots. NM PreK will add 100 full day preschool spots, and 24 half-day spots for parents who prefer a shorter preschool program for their children.<\/p>\n<p>Erica Surova, director of the Center for Community Analysis at New Mexico State University, has been tracking access to early childhood services in Do\u00f1a Ana County for the Success Partnership, which has been\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/nmindepth.com\/2017\/10\/17\/dona-ana-county-maps-out-plan-for-early-childhood-education\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">working toward universal access<\/a>\u00a0in the county.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m glad that they\u2019re increasing it by 124 students, but I wish it was a lot more,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s a good start.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She believes there is opportunity with the expansion to blend state and federal dollars through combined Head Start and NM PreK classrooms, giving more kids access to the services and making preschool more effective for low-income children in the district. Right now, New Mexico policy has kept the programs separate, but the PED has been studying that option.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you bring them into the classroom and mix them together, it\u2019s not detrimental to the group as a whole, but it tends to bring up the academic performance of those students that are from lower income families,\u201d Surova said. \u201cThat\u2019s been shown over and over again. So I think it\u2019s really important at some point that that happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Surova believes there is some stigma attached to Head Start because it serves low-income students, and that Head Start gets a bad rap in New Mexico because many of the rural programs can\u2019t attract teachers with early childhood education bachelor\u2019s degrees.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s not the case at LCPS.<\/p>\n<p>Artiaga says her teachers all have bachelor\u2019s degrees \u2014 which research has shown improves the quality of preschool \u2014 and most of the educational assistants have associate degrees in early childhood education. Because this is the first year of the program at LCPS, classes for New Mexico PreK and Head start will be separate, but she aims to mirror the programs so there is no difference in quality or services in any classroom.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, it has been LCPS Head Start\u2019s degree requirements and pay scale that has kept the district from applying for New Mexico PreK in the past. When the opportunity to apply came up several years ago, Artiaga said she couldn\u2019t make the numbers work with the per-student funding.<\/p>\n<p>This year, the reimbursement rate is higher, and the district also received $100,000 in start up money to equip the classrooms with tiny tables and chairs, plus all those fun learning tools.<\/p>\n<p>The district got much of what it applied for: It sought $910,000 and 154 slots, and got $718,188 and 124 slots.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have never said no if there is any funding out there,\u201d Artiaga said. \u201cBecause if we can use it to advocate or support even one more child, it\u2019s one more child you\u2019re going to be reaching and one more family.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With New Mexico PreK now in place at the district, Artiaga said it sets the stage for the program to grow and improve.<\/p>\n<h3>How to sign up<\/h3>\n<p><b>Who<\/b>: Children who have turned 4 by Aug. 31<\/p>\n<p><b>What:\u00a0<\/b>New Mexico PreK full-day and half-day classes<\/p>\n<p><b>Where and when:\u00a0<\/b>Preschool classes begin Aug. 15 at Desert Hills, Hillrise (part-day program), Jornada, Mesilla, Sonoma, Tombaugh and Valley View elementary schools. Instruction is provided Tuesday through Friday, and follows the school district\u2019s calendar.<\/p>\n<p><b>How<\/b>: Registration will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. Aug. 9. All New Mexico PreK students must be accepted into the program prior to registering for classes. To get pre-approved, contact the Title I Office at (575) 527-6624. Parents or guardians must bring child\u2019s original birth certificate at the time the application is submitted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The new preschool classes are part of the Public Education Department\u2019s $4.37 million\u00a0expansion to 11 school districts that didn\u2019t have NM PreK programs in place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":611268,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[234,125,145],"class_list":["post-611265","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-children","tag-education","tag-las-cruces"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611265","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=611265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/611268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}