Pre-K
Toddlers
Programs
About New Mexico PreK
New Mexico PreK (NM PreK) is a free program during the school year that delivers high-quality education in both community-based and school-based settings. NM PreK focuses on providing a fun, rewarding, and developmentally appropriate learning environment for children ages three and four.
NM PreK teachers plan play-based activities and lessons oriented towards children’s physical, cognitive, language, and social-emotional stages of development. NM PreK program standards meet nine out ten National Institute of Early Education Research (NIEER) benchmarks for preschool quality (one of only a handful of states to meet those benchmarks).
Each PreK provider sets its own application processes, registration deadlines, and selection criteria. Some may include lotteries, wait lists, and other processes to accept students. Contact the provider directly to learn more.
New Mexico PreK Links
- To search for NM PreK providers near you, visit the ECECD Child Care Finder website and filter for “NM PreK”.
- NM PreK Web Site (external link)
NM PreK Accomplishments
• In School Year (SY) 2023, ECECD initiated a historic expansion of NM PreK, creating capacity for more than 3,000 additional three- and four-year-olds
• ECECD funded 554 new NM PreK slots in Tribal communities
• In SY 2024, ECECD is creating capacity for an additional 1,200 three- and four-year-olds
• In New Mexico, 80 percent of four-year-olds have access to PreK through NM PreK, Head Start, BIE, and Title I programs combined