HELPNM
Grants Awarded
The "Our Home in Nature" program by HELP New Mexico's Early Childhood Development Program engages approximately 316 preschool children in a 36-week outdoor learning initiative across five counties. The initiative encourages equitable access to nature by offering regular, supervised outdoor learning experiences, fostering early environmental awareness, and promoting child development skills. It also connects pre-enrolled children and families from underserved communities to such experiences and provides supportive resources like transportation and outdoor learning materials. The program promises improved comfort in outdoor environments, increased participation in outdoor activities, and the development of robust stewardship behaviors among the preschoolers.
Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) is a multi-state, nonprofit community development organization founded in 1969 to advance equity and opportunity through integrated, whole-person services spanning early childhood through older adulthood. CPLC’s vision is Empowered Lives, and its mission emphasizes economic and community empowerment through direct services and advocacy. In New Mexico, CPLC’s regional work includes Early Childhood Development (ECD) programming that provides comprehensive, developmentally appropriate early education and family supports, integrating education with health, nutrition, and parent involvement services for low-income children and families. In June 2023, HELP New Mexico (HELPNM) joined the CPLC family, allowing the New Mexico team to retain local leadership and community roots while gaining shared systems and administrative infrastructure to strengthen service delivery. Primary funding sources for the New Mexico early childhood work include federal Head Start and Early Head Start support (programs that are federally funded and free to qualifying families), complemented by state/local partnerships and philanthropy as available. Recent accomplishments include the successful organizational integration of HELPNM into CPLC and continued delivery of early learning and family services across multiple New Mexico communities, expanding capacity through CPLC’s broader regional network.