New Mexico is providing free childcare for all. It's time for others to do the same | Katrina vanden Heuvel

"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. No other state in the US currently provides this essential service. 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."

"Childcare for a single infant is now more expensive than public college tuition in 38 states, and each year, the price of daycare pushes 134,000 families below the poverty line. In New Mexico, childcare can cost over a third of the median single parent's income. The resulting financial toll has nationwide consequences: according to one study, the inadequate childcare system costs the economy $122bn each year."

"Meanwhile, the personal toll disproportionately falls on mothers. Amid sky-high daycare prices and return-to-office policies, workforce participation among women with young children is declining, threatening their career development and future earnings. The market alone can do little to lower prices. Providing kids with well-trained, nurturing caregivers in a safe and engaging environment is labor-intensive, with teacher-child ratios as low as one-to-three recommended for the youngest c"

For four years New Mexico ranked last in child wellbeing based on household income, educational outcomes, and child mortality, often placing 49th or 50th. In September Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced free universal childcare, the first such comprehensive program in the United States, projected to save families an average $13,000 annually. High childcare costs push families into poverty, cost the economy $122 billion annually, and disproportionately harm mothers by reducing workforce participation and future earnings. The market cannot easily lower prices because quality childcare is labor-intensive and requires low teacher–child ratios, especially for infants, making public investment necessary.

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