Daily Taos News

New Mexico is among five states chosen for federal money from the "race to the top" program to benefit early learning programs. A total of 133-million-dollars is being given out to the five states... The five states were finalists in last year's competition... New Mexico is getting 25-million-dollars from the program.  To get money, states have to turn in proposals about early learning programs. governor martinez says the state will use the federal money to make sure that children are ready to learn when they start kindergarten, and to improve reading skills of students from pre-kindergarten through third grade. The state could start to get some of the money in february. Illinois, colorado, oregon, and wisconsin also are getting a share of federal money, which is given  over four years, according to the proposals. Late last year, nine states got a total of 500-million-dollars for early learning programs.