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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Altimarano
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
02/09/2007
HB
SHORT TITLE
WNMU Early Childhood Program
SB 803
ANALYST Moser
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY07
FY08
$130,000
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
Duplicates HB 752
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
NM Department of Higher Education (NMHED)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Bill 803 requests $130,000 to be appropriated from the General Fund to the Board of
Regents of Western New Mexico University (WNMU) for expenditure in FY08 and FY09 to
fund Early Childhood Program (ECP) needs.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $130,000 contained in this bill is a multi-year appropriation for expenditure
in FY08 and FY09. However, it is important to note that the nature of this request is for activities
that will go beyond FY09.
Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY09 would revert to the
General Fund.
pg_0002
Senate Bill 803 – Page
2
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
As outlined in the university’s website, the WNMU Early Childhood Programs encompass the:
Preschool/Child Development Center for university students with children 6 weeks to 5
years old
School Age Program at three elementary schools serving children from ages 5 to 11
Growing Tree Infant Program at Silver High School/Opportunity School for teen parents
with children 6 weeks to 36 months old
Community Childcare Center for children from ages 3 to 5
Family Counseling Center providing specialized child and family services for enrollees
and the community
La Familia Resource Center providing training, technical assistance, and family outreach
to parents and childcare providers in five counties
WNMU School of Education Associate of Arts Degree Program in Early Care, Education
and Family Support, designed to equip students with the knowledge and skills to fulfill
state and community early childhood program needs (for example, childcare
staff, providers, and classroom assistants)
Also, the website indicates that the programs offer a comprehensive array of services and use a
family-centered approach that is central to a developmentally appropriate early education. The
curricula actively involve enrolled children in the learning process, foster positive self-concept,
develop social skills, encourage thinking and reasoning, and spark creative expression. The
programs strive to support the highest quality of early care and education through community
outreach, teacher education/training, and advocacy.
HED states that according to the Director of Early Childhood Programs, this request for
$130,000 is to support the operations and staffing needs of the Family Counseling Center and La
Familia Resource Center to help parents and children with special needs.
This request was on the list of priority projects submitted by WNMU to the New Mexico Higher
Education Department for review which was not included within the HED recommendation.
GM/csd