New Mexico is poised to be the first state in the U.S. to offer free universal childcare. All families in the state will qualify for state-funded child care regardless of income as of Nov. 1.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said oil and gas production profits allowed the state to remove its income eligibility limits for the program as a trust fund. The next step is for lawmakers to approve funding and figure out what rules will govern it. The move places New Mexico ahead of other states looking to help working parents afford child care.
Lujan Grisham added that the program will help working families and give a boost to the state’s economy.
“It is the backbone of creating a system of support for families that allow them to work, to go to college, and to do all the things they need to do to continue to lift New Mexico out of poverty,” Lujan Grisham said in a press conference announcing the program this week.
Citing research, Lujan Grisham added that families that have child care assistance report greater financial stability. The program would provide about $12,000 per year in care per child, according to the state.
Although the state covers the primary costs of care, parents may be responsible for ancillary costs, like field trips for children or special lunches.
Childcare providers may not charge parents or guardians registration fees, educational or activity fees, supply fees, or transportation fees, according to the state.
Public hearings on the universal childcare rules are scheduled for Oct.9. Universal Spanish interpretation will be available. To learn more or to register for the program, visit the New Mexico Early Childhood Education & Care Department (ECECD) website.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between KANW and Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, Colorado Public Radio, KJZZ in Arizona and NPR, with additional support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
