Editor,
The New Mexico Legislature has an important task this session - to decide how much to fund Gov. Richardson's pre-kindergarten initiative.
Pre-kindergarten programs work. Kids who get early access to learning do better in reading, math and language skills. They are 40 percent less likely to need special education or be held back. When children fail in school, they earn less, are less productive employees and often fall through the cracks.
With pre-kindergarten, these children will become an educated work force, a boon to our economy and society. As a Comanche Indian, I know that pre-kindergarten is especially important to American-Indian communities that are consistently at the bottom of most socioeconomic indicators.
The $10 million that the governor proposes is the investment opportunity of a lifetime, one the Legislature needs to make. I urge all New Mexicans to call their legislators and tell them our children deserve their help.
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Laura Harris
UNM alumna
