New Mexico State University’s Glass Family Research Institute for Early Childhood Studies was recently awarded $1.187 million from the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department to enhance the institute’s research and provide educational opportunities to students.

NMSU was one of seven colleges and universities in the state to receive endowment grants from the Early Childhood Education and Care Department to strengthen the pipeline for a diverse and credentialed early childhood workforce, and aid in the recruitment of students from Indigenous and bilingual communities into early childhood degree programs.

At NMSU, the grant funds will support the addition of two graduate assistant positions to work with stakeholders in early childhood education educator programs within the research institute to expand the use of accelerated early childhood degree pathways, and increase the number of Indigenous and bilingual early childhood educators.

Angela Owens, director of the NMSU Glass Family Research Institute for Early Childhood Studies, which is housed in the College of Health, Education and Social Transformation, said the grant will allow the institute to collect research about the complex nuances of early childhood care and education within southern New Mexico and the borderland, as well as facilitate an opportunity for graduate students in the college to learn more about southern New Mexico’s teacher pipeline and the ways pre-service educators and administrators prepare to work with bilingual and Indigenous populations.

“This grant will allow us to integrate the holistic approach that has already been constructed with early childhood stakeholders in our area, which situates community members as experts while also honoring multigenerational knowledge,” Owens said. “The benefits to all stakeholders in the state and beyond will definitely be unique since the institute is located within the context of a Hispanic-Serving Institution at a land-grant university.”

Owens emphasized the importance of multicultural education because it “honors a spirit of inclusivity, respect and diversity amongst everyone in and around a community. In order to support the ideals of democracy in the United States, multicultural education must be woven into all areas of teacher education.”

“New Mexico’s multicultural heritage is one of the things that makes our state special,” said ECECD Cabinet Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky. “That’s why it’s especially important to ensure that our early childhood workforce reflects the diverse communities they will be serving – especially in tribal communities where culture and language are key components of early education and development. These new early childhood endowments are part of our strategy to attract a diverse pool of talent to the early childhood profession and support them in their pursuit of degrees and credentials.”

Funding for the grants was approved by New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham as part of the Early Childhood Education and Care Department’s budget during the 2021 legislative session.

Owens said the grant will serve as a catalyst in collecting and disbursing timely research to local, state, national and global early childhood stakeholders. Owens worked on the grant in collaboration with NMSU Teacher Education Program Early Childhood Clinical Director Violet Henderson, TEP Elementary Director and Early Childhood Assistant Professor Leanna Lucero, TEP Early Childhood Assistant Professor Rhianna Thomas, College of HEST interim Associate Dean of Academic Phillip Post and School of Teacher Preparation, Administration and Leadership interim Director Rick Marlatt.