"Child care is essential to family stability, workforce participation, and New Mexico's future prosperity,"
"By investing in universal child care, we are giving families financial relief, supporting our economy, and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow and thrive."
"This historic win is the result of years of organizing by early educators and advocates across the state,"
"including [for] members of our organizations and others, who have made affordable child care and higher wages for early educators a top priority."
New Mexico will begin guaranteeing free, universal child care for new parents starting in November, with no income limits and no required co-pays. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham described child care as essential to family stability, workforce participation, and the state's future prosperity, and framed investment as financial relief that supports the economy and children's opportunities. The state created the Early Childhood Education and Care Department in 2019 and launched a universal childcare program via an educational endowment fund in 2022 for families meeting a federal poverty threshold. That earlier initiative correlated with lower poverty rates, higher childcare worker wages, and improved family financial stability. Years of organizing by early educators and advocates helped prioritize affordable child care and higher wages.
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