"The state has consistently ranked last in the nation for child well-being, as determined by factors including household income, educational outcomes, and child mortality. And over the past decade, whenever New Mexico hasn't placed 50th, it's been 49th. But in its ongoing efforts to shake off that unenviable distinction, the state is poised to achieve a significant first. In September, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham-who made affordable childcare a centerpiece of her 2018 campaign-announced that New Mexico will offer free universal childcare."
"The program is projected to save families an average of $13,000 each year. That's a windfall almost anywhere, but it's a particularly life-changing sum in a state that has, by one measure, the highest child poverty rate in the nation. And New Mexico may offer a model for other jurisdictions seeking to strengthen the social safety net, particularly as the Trump administration does its level best to shred it."
New Mexico has ranked last or near-last for child well-being, measured by household income, educational outcomes, and child mortality. The governor announced a free universal childcare program projected to save families an average of $13,000 per year. Childcare costs now exceed public college tuition for infants in many states and push 134,000 families into poverty annually. In New Mexico childcare can consume over a third of a single parent's median income. The inadequate childcare system costs the economy $122 billion each year. High childcare costs disproportionately burden mothers and reduce workforce participation among women with young children. The market alone can do little to lower prices.
Read at The Nation
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