Early childhood home visiting program challenged by some NM legislators during LFC meeting

Lawmakers questioned the effectiveness of an early childhood home visiting program Wednesday during a Legislative Finance Committee meeting in Mescalero. (Photo by Carolyn Kaster / The Associated Press)

Lawmakers questioned the effectiveness of an early childhood home visiting program Wednesday during a Legislative Finance Committee meeting in Mescalero.

The program , run through the Early Childhood Education & Care Department, is meant to better outcomes for young children and families in New Mexico. Home visits can start prenatally, and eventually, providers assist with lactation, postpartum depression, and other mother and child health concerns. Visitors observe children’s developmental benchmarks, while also screening for abuse or neglect.

A Legislative Finance Committee report noted that home visiting, combined with other “child welfare interventions” could help reduce child maltreatment in the state. New Mexico ranked 50th in child welfare in the 2024 KIDS Count Data Book , released earlier this year. Neighboring states Arizona and Texas ranked similarly low at 42nd and 43rd respectively.

The Legislature allocated $28.3 million for the home visiting program from the general fund for fiscal year 2025.

Rep. Alan Martinez (R-Rio Rancho) questioned whether the increasing amount of state funds provided to the department was actually benefiting New Mexico children.

“What are we getting for our investment? Whether it be state dollars or federal dollars, we’re still ranked last in the country and we’re investing a lot more money than other states are. What I’m trying to understand is, why?” Martinez said.

ECECD Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky pointed out that her department is building an early childhood model that did not previously exist in the state.

“We don’t move the needle in two years and three years,” she said.

LFC Analyst Kelly Klundt said there are about 21,000 babies born in New Mexico each year, and only 5,000 to 7,000 families are being served through the home visiting program.

“You can’t see population change until you’re serving at a population level,” Klundt said.

Retention is also a problem, according to the LFC report , and many families drop out. “Enrollment has not kept pace with growing appropriations,” the report states.

Making better use of Medicaid matching funds could also help the program serve more families without requiring more money from the state budget, analysts write.

The department has contracted to serve over 5,000 families this current fiscal year, the report states, but only 400 are enrolled in the Medicaid-matched program. The target is 1,500 families.

So far, the department has failed to meet its goals of expanding the use of Medicaid dollars, and the services as a whole, Klundt told the committee.

According to Groginsky, all 33 counties in the state have a home visiting program to support families. But not all providers are credentialed to receive Medicaid reimbursements, and the credentialing process can take months to complete.

Rep. William Sharer (R-Farmington) voiced his concern that because of the often burdensome process of Medicaid credentialing, smaller providers may not be given a fair chance to qualify.

“A small business in Shiprock, New Mexico that wants to do this doesn’t have a herd of attorneys to figure this out,” Sharer said. “What I’m afraid of is that we simply push small businesses out of the picture.”

The program will need more targeted investments to reach more children and families, Groginsky said, as well as support for providers navigating the process of Medicaid credentialing.

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