The New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) is taking significant steps to enhance the professional development opportunities for educators working with young children. As part of a broader administrative effort to strengthen training and credentialing within the early childhood sector, ECECD has announced a groundbreaking initiative: providing access to Quorum.learning, an online professional development program, for New Mexico educators.
This initiative offers a limited number of licenses to individual educators in New Mexico who are dedicated to working with families and young children from prenatal stages through age five. Quorum.Learning stands out as a readily accessible, 24/7 platform boasting over 180 hours of high-quality, interactive online courses. The curriculum addresses critical areas within early childhood education, including developmental milestones, health and safety protocols, language development strategies, trauma-informed practices, resilience building techniques, understanding and supporting children with special needs, and effective family engagement methods. Recognizing the diverse linguistic needs of New Mexico’s educator community, Quorum courses are available in both English and Spanish, and importantly, all courses are approved for Continuing Education Units (CEUs), ensuring professional growth and recognition. A comprehensive menu of courses can be explored here.
Elizabeth Groginsky, New Mexico’s Cabinet Secretary of Early Childhood Education and Care, emphasized the timely importance of this initiative. “In these unprecedented and challenging times, it is crucial for the state to expand access to online training for all those who dedicate themselves to families with young children,” she stated. “I am delighted that we can supplement our existing professional development programs, offered by our esteemed higher education community, through this valuable partnership with Quorum.Learning.” This collaboration underscores the state’s commitment to providing diverse and flexible learning pathways for its early childhood workforce.
Debra Baca, Vice President of Early Childhood Education at YDI NM, further highlighted the widespread benefits of this online learning platform. “The Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) is deeply invested in professional development across the state and throughout our industry. Child care providers, family home providers, Head Start programs, and home visitors will all significantly benefit from the Quorum.Learning platform. This access to high-quality training will undoubtedly empower our educators, leading to improved outcomes for New Mexico’s children and families,” Baca explained. Her statement reinforces the inclusive nature of the program and its potential to reach a broad spectrum of early childhood professionals.
Daniela Baca, Director of UNM Children’s Campus, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the long-term impact of investing in early childhood professionals. “The UNM Children’s Campus firmly believes that an investment in early childhood professionals is an investment in our future. Access to affordable, high-quality professional development opportunities for early childhood educators can often be a challenge. Providing a platform like Quorum.Learning that is free of cost and easily accessible is a remarkable way to address this critical concern. The new Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) and Cabinet Secretary Groginsky’s commitment to building a well-educated and strong early childhood workforce will have a profound and lasting impact on the education and well-being of the children in New Mexico,” she asserted.
Michelle Rosen-Hatcher, director of Kids Campus at Santa Fe Community College, also shared her positive perspective on Quorum.Learning and its relevance to the current needs of educators. “Kids Campus at SFCC has been reopened since June, and our dedicated staff has been working diligently to provide engaging learning opportunities for all of our children while prioritizing everyone’s safety and health. The crucial element that has been needed is readily available access to high-quality learning opportunities for our staff. As early childhood educators, continuous growth and reflection on our practice are essential for fresh ideas, new insights, and the ongoing development of our workforce,” Rosen-Hatcher stated.
Quorum.Learning is already a trusted resource, utilized by 30,000 early educators across the nation. The program is distributed by Kaplan Early Learning Company, a well-respected name in the field of education. Licenses for Quorum.Learning are available to early educators working across various settings, including child care centers, Head Start programs, PreK, home visiting initiatives, and other early intervention programs. Spanish-speaking educators, educational assistants in public schools, and Tribal early childhood educators are particularly encouraged to apply, ensuring equitable access to professional growth opportunities.
Educators interested in obtaining a free Quorum.Learning license are invited to sign up online through the application portal. This initiative is generously supported by the Preschool Development Grant Birth through Five Initiative (PDG B-5), from the Office of Child Care, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, highlighting the collaborative effort to prioritize and invest in early childhood education.
