New Mexico Becomes First State To Offer Free Childcare For All: ‘Model For The Nation’

Move is expansion of existing program that has helped lift tens of thousands of people out of poverty

By Dani Anguiano, The Guardian

New Mexico will become the first state to offer free universal childcare, the governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, announced this week, an expansion of an existing program that has helped lift tens of thousands of people out of poverty.

Beginning 1 November, the state will guarantee no-cost childcare to all residents, regardless of their income level in what the governor’s office described as a “groundbreaking new initiative”.

“Child care is essential to family stability, workforce participation, and New Mexico’s future prosperity,” Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “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.”

In 2022, the state became the first to offer childcare at no cost to most families, making it free for those who earned up to 400% of the federal poverty level, which amounts to about $124,000 for a family of four. About half of the children in the state qualified.

The development yielded significant results in the state, one of the poorest in the US, and its poverty rate began to fall. Early childhood educators saw reduced poverty rates as New Mexico raised wages for childcare workers and changed its subsidy reimbursement rates to reflect the actual cost of providing care. One researcher described it as a “generational change”.