New Mexico Will Become the First State to Offer Universal Child Care
A look back at the policy changes that have led the state to this step.
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Free child care is coming to the Land of Enchantment this November.
Last week, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department announced that New Mexico will become the to offer universal child care to families as of Nov. 1.聽
Over the past six years, New Mexico has become a trailblazer in child care infrastructure. In 2019, the state created its first Early Childhood Education and Care Department with a Cabinet-level secretary, showing a commitment to improving care and support for young children. In 2022, New Mexico became the first state to enshrine a right to early education for children 0 to 5 years old, by passing a constitutional amendment and directing dedicated funding to child care and early childhood education. The state pulled dollars from its Land, which collects and invests profits from oil and gas revenues, and created a steady stream of money for early childhood programs. This has led to increased pay for teachers, higher reimbursements for providers that accept subsidies, more families qualifying for free or reduced price child care, and more child care slots.
Since 2019, the state has made progress on improving access and affordability of child care, expanding free child care to families with an income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, which for a family of four is an annual household income of $128,600. But without a sliding scale model, families with an income over that threshold were left responsible for covering the cost of care. Starting in November, all residents of New Mexico will be able access child care for free, regardless of income.
In a touting the change, the state estimates that families will save an average of $12,000 per year. The state is also implementing an incentive rate for child care providers 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, with the goal of creating an additional 5,000 early childhood professionals to staff a universal system.
Here鈥檚 a look back at some of the key actions and policy changes that have led New Mexico to arrive at universal free child care.
2019
New Mexico creates the Early Childhood Education and Care Department
In 2019, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed into law Senate Bill 22, creating the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department 鈥� an agency that would coordinate the work of three previous departments under a single entity to administer all state programs for children from prenatal to 5 years old. Though several states had Cabinets devoted to the interests of children, this move led New Mexico to become one of four with a department entirely dedicated to early childhood.
2021
Grassroots advocates in New Mexico target money from the state鈥檚 Land Grant Permanent Fund to pay for early childhood education
After a decade of organizing, early childhood education advocates in New Mexico home in on creating a change to their state constitution to guarantee a right to early education, eyeing the Land Grant Permanent Fund as a path toward developing a funding stream to support the vision.
2022
A Win for Early Childhood Education with a Ballot Initiative
On Nov. 8, 2022, New Mexico voters a constitutional amendment making their state the first to guarantee a right to early childhood education with funding to support it.
Grassroots activists mobilized to bring a change in early childhood education to New Mexico, and after a ten year battle they found success through a constitutional amendment which received more than 70% of the vote.
Hailey Heiz, deputy director of the University of New Mexico Cradle to Career Policy Institute, explores how New Mexico鈥檚 child care landscape has changed and what advocates across the country should keep their eyes on in this Q&A.
2024
After COVID disruptions, report shows New Mexico among states making top gains in pre-K enrollment
Two years after voters in New Mexico demanded more access to early childhood education by , the state鈥檚 investment has begun to show success. According to the From the National Institute for Early Education Research, it鈥檚 one of the top states to make gains in preschool enrollment, with 70% of 4-year-olds now attending public preschool, making the state one of just a handful that serves at least two-thirds of eligible students.
2025
A glimpse into New Mexico鈥檚 progress over the years
New Mexico鈥檚 early care and education system has undergone dramatic changes over the past five years as a result of a significant investment the state made in 2019. Increased wages for early educators, higher reimbursement rates for providers who accept subsidies, increased capacity and an increase in the number of families eligible for free or reduced price child care are among the advancements
There are tribes living on in New Mexico, a state where Native American citizens represent about of the population. Half of the Head Start and Early Head Start programs in New Mexico are on tribal lands.
In addition to investing in early care and education by expanding funding, creating a dedicated department for early childhood and becoming the first state to guarantee a right to early childhood education, New Mexico has also explored ways to support its tribal communities. This includes supporting programs that preserve tribal languages and culture.
With federal funds from the American Rescue Plan gone, some states have established trust funds dedicated to early care and education 鈥� and some say they鈥檝e drawn inspiration from New Mexico, which was ahead of the curve. From voters approving the ballot measure to devote funding to early care and education in 2022, to efforts to decrease costs for families and increase pay for providers, and more recently, doubling the minimum amount the fund will spend on early education each year 鈥� the state has been a leader.
New Mexico becomes the first state to offer universal child care
On Monday, Sept. 8, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department that New Mexico will become the first state in the nation to guarantee no-cost universal child care to families starting on Nov. 1, making child care free for families, regardless of income.
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Rebecca Gale is a writer with the Better Life Lab at New America where she covers child care, and is also the author of It Doesn鈥檛 Have to Be This Hard, a newsletter on caregiving writing and reporting.
