“My mom is truthfully so devastated, she’s so upset. She’s not excited at all for me to have a baby.”
New Mexico is making history as the first state in the nation to offer no-cost universal child care to all.
The announcement was made in a press release by New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) on Sept. 8.
The free child care assistance will be available to all New Mexicans regardless of income starting Nov. 1.
It’s a historic milestone that follows through on a promise made by Lujan Grisham in 2019 when she created the ECECD, which launched in July 2020.
Lujan Grisham, who was sworn into office in January 2019, began her second term as governor in 2023.
“Child care is essential to family stability, workforce participation, and New Mexico’s future prosperity,” Lujan Grisham said in the press release.
“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,” she continued.
In the past, free child care assistance was only available to New Mexico families earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level — or those with annual household incomes of about $124,000, per “Today.”
The governor expects the initiative to save families as much as $12,000 annually per child.
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“New Mexico is creating the conditions for better outcomes in health, learning, and well-being,” said Neal Halfon, director of the Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities.
“Its approach is rooted in data, driven by communities, and becoming a model for the nation,” Halfon added.
In order to fully achieve universal child care for all, Lujan Grisham estimates that the state will need an additional 5,000 childhood professionals — but she has incentives in place to make that goal a reality.
“Programs that commit to paying entry-level staff a minimum of $18 per hour and offer 10 hours of care per day, five days a week, will receive an incentive rate,” the press release reads.
New Mexico’s blueprint goes far beyond universal child care
In addition to offering no-cost child care for all, New Mexico is also taking steps to improve child care across the state.
Lujan Grisham has already committed to invest $12.7 million to “construct, expand, and renovate child care facilities” in New Mexico, but has also requested an additional $20 million in 2027, per the release.
She’s also targeting assistance for working families, children with special needs and home providers.
The governor’s office hopes the initiative paves the way for other states to follow suit.
“New Mexico is turning the tide,” Lujan Grisham said in a press conference shared on YouTube. “The blueprint for education in America is happening right here in New Mexico.”
Michelle Kang, president and CEO of the National Association of the Education of Young Children, shared a similar sentiment.
“Achieving universal child care will make a huge difference for the state’s children, families, businesses, and educators—and for all of us, by showing that it can be done,” Kang said in the press release.
The initiative comes three months after the release of Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual Kids Count Data Book, which ranks all states in the U.S. based on child well-being.
States are evaluated across four metrics: health, economic well-being, education and family/community.
For the fourth straight year, New Mexico ranked last overall in child well-being, per Source NM.
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“Once again, New Mexico is ranked 50th,” wrote Gabrielle Uballez of New Mexico Voices for Children. “Two things are true: Progress takes time — and our children can’t afford to wait.”
