Project Launch
New Mexico
Funded Years : 2008
Project Director :
Diane Dennedy Frank
diane.dennedyfrank@state.nm.us
Address :
2040 South Pacheco
Santa Fe,NM 87505
Project Status : Active
Project Summary : New Mexico's Maternal and Child Health (MCH) program will promote wellness of children birth to age eight in Santa Fe County by coordinating the major child-serving systems at both the state and local level and by integrating behavioral and physical health services. MCH expects to significantly improve the health and mental health outcomes of children from Santa Fe's lowest income, highest risk neighborhoods by expanding the United Way of Santa Fe County's Santa Fe Children's Project's (SFCP) Pre-K and school-based programs, and implementing the First Born® home visiting program.
Santa Fe County's population is largely Hispanic – 61.4 percent, with 29 percent white and 5 percent Native American. Significantly, almost half of births in Santa Fe County during 2005 were to single mothers; half of the county's births were to teenage mothers. An additional risk factor is extreme poverty. In the initial implementation site for Project LAUNCH – the Agua Fria Elementary School – more than 85 percent of children qualify for free or reduced lunches. Additional risk factors include family management problems, academic failure, language, and cultural barriers.
The underlying philosophical approach of the SFCP – to work with whole neighborhoods to improve economic, social, and academic conditions – was adopted in response to the recognition that community poverty and lack of resources exacerbates individual risk factors.
In concert with this approach, Project LAUNCH goals are to ensure that:
• All families nurture their child's optimal development, are strong advocates for their child's needs, and are engaged in designing the early childhood services that they use
• The public and private sector invest in young children and their families to promote healthy development and school readiness to improve the quality of life for all New Mexicans
• All families have equitable access to a continuum of comprehensive AND aligned early childhood services and systems in their community
• New Mexicans understand the importance of early childhood development and are actively engaged in supporting policies and programs at all levels that help children and families to thrive
• All young children's developmental concerns will be addressed prior to kindergarten
• All children, their families, and pregnant women have access to continuous preventive, acute, and chronic health care, including behavioral, mental, and oral health
• All families have equitable access to high quality learning and care that promotes optimal development, school readiness, and achievement of proficiency
Strategies
To achieve these goals, New Mexico's Project LAUNCH will expand local efforts including evidence-based practices such as the First Born® home visitation program, pre-kindergarten, and after-school activities for young children. State level efforts will further develop medical homes and developmental screening efforts; develop short and long term strategies to eliminate child poverty in New Mexico; partner with business leaders, policy makers and philanthropy at the local, tribal, and state level to develop and implement a long range early childhood investment and financing plan that is tied to stable funding; and develop structures and strategies to lead and coordinate key early childhood services at the state and community level.
Expected Outcomes
Expected outcomes from these strategies include a seamless system of care for children birth to eight with established mechanisms for family involvement in early childhood advocacy. The project also expects to increase home visiting services for families using standard screening tools for developmental, social, and emotional health of young children and their families. It will also increase referrals to appropriate intervention services. Statewide expectations include: established mechanisms for family input and involvement in early childhood activities; increased numbers of families advocating for themselves and their children to make systemic change; increased percentage of children ready to enter school; increased percentage of children reading at grade level by third grade; and improved access to an integrated statewide early childhood system by creating common standards, protocols, and parenting education approaches across state agency early childhood programs
Evidence-Based Programs :
Nurse-Family Partnership (Prenatal/Early Childhood Nurse Home Visitation Program)
Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)
