Pre-Kindergarten (Ages 3-5)
Welcome to NM PreK
New Mexico PreK is a voluntary program created by the Pre- Kindergarten Act of 2005 and jointly administered by the Public Education and the Children, Youth, and Families Departments.
The purpose of PreK is to ensure every child in New Mexico has the opportunity to attend a high-quality, early childhood education program before entering kindergarten.
The purpose of New Mexico PreK is to:
• Increase access to voluntary, high–quality, pre–kindergarten programs
• Provide developmentally appropriate activities for New Mexico children
• Expand early childhood community capacity
• Support linguistically and culturally appropriate curriculum
• Focus on school readiness
“Children who attend high–quality, PreK programs do better in school from the first day of kindergarten through their postsecondary years. Compared with peers who have not completed PreK, they have higher achievement test scores, they repeat grades far less often, they need less special education, they graduate at higher rates, and they are more likely to attend college.” 1
1 Transforming Public Education: Pathway to a PreK-12 Future, page 8, The PEW Center
Planning & Curriculum
PreK teachers carefully plan indoor and out- door activities based on what children need to learn in the following areas:
· Mathematics, including counting, shapes, measurement, and sorting
· Literacy, including oral language, phonological awareness, writing, and reading comprehension
· Scientific understanding, including investigations, predictions, and earth science concepts
· Approaches to learning, including independence and focus
· Self, family, and community, including self-control, cooperative play, and interpersonal problem solving
· Physical development, including fine motor skills, spatial awareness, coordination, and strength
· Creativity, including music, art, movement, and engineering
