"In an unprecedented move, New Mexico is making child care free. Beginning in November, it will be the first state in the nation to provide child care to all residents regardless of income, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced this week. The state has been working to lower child care care costs since 2019, when it created the Early Childhood Education and Care Department and started to expand eligibility for universal child care. This latest change removes income eligibility requirements from the state's child care assistance program altogether and waives all family copayments."
"The initiative is expected to save families $12,000 per child annually. "Child care is essential to family stability, workforce participation and New Mexico's future prosperity," Lujan Grisham said in her announcement. "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.""
"The United States allocates some federal funding to states to lower the cost of child care for low-income kids, but eligibility for that funding is very limited and by and large, most families are paying an average of $13,000 on child care annually. It's much higher in many states."
New Mexico will make child care free for all residents beginning November 1 by removing income eligibility requirements and waiving family copayments in the state assistance program. The state began expanding child care access in 2019 with the creation of the Early Childhood Education and Care Department and incremental eligibility expansions. The initiative is expected to save families roughly $12,000 per child each year and aims to support family stability, workforce participation, and economic prosperity. Federal funding for child care remains limited and most U.S. families currently pay an average of about $13,000 annually for child care.
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