Word Scramble Answers:

1. LNEROL_____________
2. LSDANECTIER _____________
3. GNIAINTR_____________
4. SEWAG_____________
5. ISDP _____________

1. ENROLL
2. CREDENTIALS
3. TRAINING
4. WAGES
5. Professional Development Information System (PDIS)

The Professional Development Information System (PDIS) is a free online platform that lets early childhood professionals track their education, credentials, required training, and wages in one place.

Who needs to enroll? Everyone working in Child Care, NM PreK, Home Visiting, and FIT programs, including directors, administrators, and staff members.

Create your profile here to link your background check and begin tracking your professional goals.

For support, email [email protected] or visit the FAQ page for more details.

As temperatures start to cool, New Mexico is filling up with fun fall activities for children and families. From weekly story times to seasonal markets and mazes, here’s your calendar for events happening across the state this season.

Date	Event	Location
Every Monday	Toddler Time	Explora, Albuquerque
Every Wednesday	Wee Wednesdays	Children’s Museum, Santa Fe
Every Thursday	Seeds & Sprouts	Children’s Museum, Santa Fe
August 18-23	Roosevelt County Fair	Portales
August 19-23	Catron County Fair	Reserve, NM
August 23-30	Valencia County Fair	Belen
September 3-7	Bi-County Fair	Prewitt, NM
August 27-28	Building Bridges: Neurodivergent Workshop for families and educators	Silver City
Saturdays through September	Movies in the Park	Las Cruces
September 10-20	New Mexico State Fair	Albuquerque
September 23-27	Grant County Fair	Cliff, NM
September 26	New Mexico Children’s Book Fair	Albuquerque
Saturdays through October	Farmington Growers’ Market	Farmington
Saturdays through September	Downtown Makers’ Market	Farmington
September 24 through October 23	Mesilla Valley Maze	Las Cruces
September through November	Big Jim Farms	Albuquerque
April through October	El Rancho de Las Golondrinas	Santa Fe
October 5-10	Eastern New Mexico State Fair	Roswell
October 6-11	Sierra County Fair	Truth or Consequences
April through November	Downtown Growers’ Market	Albuquerque

Great teaching is never static. Educators pay attention to what is working, make adjustments, and try new approaches to better support learning. The same is true of professional development.

This year, the Mentor Network is adding one-on-one meetings to provide mentors with more direct support. Mentors will meet individually with their cohort leads each month from September through November and again from February through April.

The meetings will give mentors space to ask questions, talk through challenges, and discuss how things are going with their mentees.

“We want mentors to feel comfortable opening up about what is happening, what they need, and how we can better support them,” said Yadira Lorenzoni, senior program manager. “The leads can then bring the common themes they hear into the professional learning community (PLC) meetings so everyone can learn from them.”

For example, if mentors are struggling with difficult conversations or similar classroom situations, cohort leads can bring resources and discussion questions to the larger group without sharing anyone’s personal experiences.

The one-on-one conversations will also help cohort leads plan PLC meetings around what mentors are experiencing in real time. The change is designed to strengthen relationships and make the support mentors receive more useful.

Interested in joining? Learn more about the Mentor Network here.

Krystel Sanchez has worn two hats: she’s APRENDE Program Director and Early Childhood Networks Regional Connector, working directly with educators who move between the two programs. Santa Fe Community College’s APRENDE Early Childhood Teacher Apprenticeship Program and the Early Childhood Networks Mentor Network are working together to support early childhood educators across the state, and Sanchez describes career growth less like a ladder and more like a staircase, one educators can climb, pause on, or step back down without losing their footing.

APRENDE supports the state’s incumbent early childhood workforce, pairing apprentices and pre-apprentices with seasoned “journey worker” mentors. According to Sanchez, the mentors are there to “explain the why behind behaviors” and support newer educators “through anything they get stuck with.” In APRENDE’s model, the journey workers are the mentors, and in the past, the program has run largely on its own. The Mentor Network has added another layer of support, giving mentors training “in understanding adult learning theory” and helping them “articulate what they have internalized as best practices.”

The partnership follows a progression: pre-apprentices earn a Child Development Certificate, then move into a registered apprenticeship toward an associate degree and lead teacher roles, and eventually into the Mentor Network itself, often while pursuing licensure or a bachelor’s degree. But the path isn’t always a straight line. There are, Sanchez says, “all kinds of on and off ramps,” and educators may take a detour into a different role entirely before returning to the stairs.

Sanchez sees that back-and-forth as a strength, not a detour from the plan. “Whether someone is drawn to an infant-toddler classroom, home-based care, or a director’s role, ‘there’s a place for them,’ she says. For her, it’s about more than collecting credentials. “It’s important to come back to the why we’re here — for children and families,” she says. “Being able to grow your own skills, grow your network, all has a net positive for children and families in New Mexico.”

Summer’s in full swing! There’s plenty of summer fun happening for young children across the state. From marigold crafts to toddler storytimes to movies under the stars, we’ve rounded up events happening throughout July and August.

Date	Event	Location
Through July 17	Alebrijes and Nahuales sculptures	Albuquerque
Through July 19	Make Ofrenda Marigolds at Grandma’s Casita	Explora, Albuquerque
Through July 25	ABQ Library Summer Reading Program	Albuquerque
Through July 30	Garden Music	Albuquerque
Through July 30	Wildlife Science Kids Program	Albuquerque
Every Monday	Toddler Time	Explora, Albuquerque
Every Wednesday	Wee Wednesdays	Children’s Museum, Santa Fe
Five Saturdays from July through September	Movies in the Park	Las Cruces
Every Thursday, through August 6	“S” is for Science	E3 Children’s Museum, Farmington
Every Thursday, through August 6	Downtown Makers’ Market	Farmington

For Lynala Nakai, an early childhood instructional coach with Central Region Educational Cooperative (CREC) and Mentor Network Lead in Farmington, New Mexico, mentorship is about showing up for people.

After four years as a mentor, Lynala stepped into the Lead role this year, bringing her experience as an instructional coach to support educators in monthly group meetings. From the start, her goal was to create room for mentees to lead themselves. “We weren’t going to be the ones doing the majority of the talking,” she says. “We wanted them to present, build confidence, and get to know one another.”

That philosophy carries into her one-on-one work, too. When a mentee was going through a difficult time mid-semester, Lynala kept showing up, sending resources, following up, and kept checking in. “You’re almost done. You’re doing the best you can. Keep going,” she told her. The mentee finished the semester.

For Lynala, the best part of the Network is the relationships it builds and the reminder to keep learning.”Just be open minded,” she says. “We’re so caught up in our own teaching strategies, but we don’t always think about how other teachers are modifying their lessons and what we can learn from them.”

Join the Mentor Network.

This spring, Early Childhood Networks and Scholarship and Pay Incentive program staff attended conferences and returned with valuable insights to strengthen their work.

NMAEYC Annual Conference | April 10-11, 2026 | Albuquerque

Staff presented on how programs support recruitment, retention, and professional growth of early childhood educators. 

Key takeaways: educators valued scholarship support for completing degrees, while concerns emerged regarding the recognition of work experience and barriers to higher education.

National Early Childhood Workforce Convening | April 13-17, 2026 | Chapel Hill, NC

Staff presented statewide educator support programs, including mentorship, scholarships, wage supplements, and professional networks. 

Key takeaways: New Mexico is seen as a national leader in early childhood investment, with attendees interested in how the state funds its programs.

ECECD Multilingual Convening | April 16-17, 2026 | Albuquerque 

The third annual convening brought together educators and stakeholders to discuss the needs of multilingual programs. Staff presented bilingual support programs, and Infant-Toddler Teacher Network Lead Diana Bravo participated in a panel. 

Key takeaways: strong program interest, with feedback on accessibility and inclusion to inform future program planning. In early childhood education, learning never stops. Get support with mentorship and professional growth: Early Childhood Networks

In early childhood education, learning never stops. Get support with mentorship and professional growth: Early Childhood Networks

On April 25th, Early Childhood Networks held its End-of-Year Celebration at four locations across New Mexico: Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Farmington, and Las Cruces. Educators from the Mentor, Infant-Toddler Teacher, Directors, and Home-based Providers networks came together over breakfast to mark the close of a strong program year.

Members from across the state connected live via Zoom as program highlights, member recognition, and updates were shared. With 225 members in 2025–26, the Early Childhood Network continues to grow as a statewide community where early childhood professionals find support, mentorship, and real connection with colleagues who understand their work.

It was a morning done right: food, colleagues, and a chance to close out the year together.