New Mexico Becomes First State in U.S. to Provide Free Universal Child Care

New Mexico has been providing child care for low income parents since 2020, but this new initiative provides free access to early child care/education regardless of income.  

First and foremost for all New Mexico parents with pre-K children, this will mean a $12K average savings per child when the program begins in November.

Too, this is a big deal for a number of other reasons, and prominent among them is the fact that this program will provide an impetus for more socioeconomic mixing of children (and parents), since programs will not be distinguished by which childcare facilities cater to those who can’t or can afford to pay out of pocket.

Press Release from Gov. Grisham’s office:

SANTA FE — Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department announced a historic milestone on Monday: New Mexico will become the first state in the nation to guarantee no-cost universal child care starting Nov. 1.

This groundbreaking new initiative will make child care available to all New Mexicans, regardless of income, by removing income eligibility requirements from the state’s child care assistance program and continuing the waiver of family copayments.

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

This announcement fulfills the promise made by the governor and the New Mexico Legislature when they created the Early Childhood Education and Care Department in 2019. Since then, New Mexico has expanded access to no-cost child care to families with incomes at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, reducing financial strain on tens of thousands of families.

With Monday’s announcement universal child care will be extended to every family in the state, regardless of income. This amounts to an average annual family savings of $12,000 per child.

“New Mexico is creating the conditions for better outcomes in health, learning, and well-being,” said Neal Halfon, professor of pediatrics, public health and public policy at the University of California, Los Angeles, and 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.

“By prioritizing public investments in early childhood educators, families, and children, New Mexico continues to lead the way in building a sustainable, affordable, and quality child care and early learning system that helps its communities and economy thrive,” said Michelle Kang, president and CEO of the National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). “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.”

Families who receive child care assistance report greater financial stability, more time to focus on their children, and the ability to choose higher-quality care settings. Now, every family in New Mexico will have the same opportunity. New Mexico is also taking decisive action to build the supply of infant and toddler care statewide:

• Establishing a $12.7 million low-interest loan fund to construct, expand, and renovate child care facilities, with an additional $20 million requested in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget.
• Targeting growth to focus on care for infants, toddlers, low-income families, and children with special needs.
• Partnering with employers and school districts to expand child care options for working families.
• Launching a statewide campaign to recruit licensed and registered home providers.
• To support providers, reimbursement rates will rise to reflect the true cost of care.

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. New Mexico estimates an additional 5,000 early childhood professionals are needed to fully achieve a universal system.

“Early childhood care and education is a public good,” said ECECD Sec. Elizabeth Groginsky. “By providing universal access and improving pay for our early childhood workforce, we are easing financial pressure on families, strengthening our economy, and helping every child learn in safe, nurturing environments. This is the kind of investment that builds equity today and prosperity for the future.”

With universal child care, New Mexico is leading the nation by showing that what is best for children and families is also the smartest investment for long-term prosperity—building a stronger future for every community in the state.

For more information about how families and providers can access universal child care benefits, visit and toolkit: ECECD Universal Child Care Resources Page.

Before You Sign On to Universal Pre-K, Ask This Question:

How much does your city or state plan to spend?  

If parameters are in place for professionally-trained teachers, adequate resources, research based pedagogy, socioeconomic integration, and competent leadership, I am all in.  

If, however, your state is like Florida trying to do it on the cheap with half the resources needed, segregation, poorly trained teachers with scripted programs, and "entrepreneurial" bottom feeders running the programs, forget it.  What you end up with are damaged kids in chain gang holding pens learning nothing of any value, but learning that school is all about taking orders and working.

Clip from story by David Kirp in the New York Times:

....New York decided early to make pre-K available to every child, rather than just poor kids. A study of Boston’s preschools found that poor and middle-class children who attended pre-K did better on subsequent tests of literacy and math. Poor youngsters also became more socially and emotionally competent. In short, everyone benefits from pre-K.

In New York, the percentage of 4-year-olds in prekindergarten is essentially the same in every neighborhood, in part because the city made an effort to attract families across the demographic spectrum. A door-to-door campaign was mounted to persuade parents in poorer precincts, many of whom were unfamiliar with the early education the city was offering.

The make-or-break factor for prekindergarten is quality, and every study confirming its long-term benefits focuses on an exemplary initiative. What makes for quality? A full-day program, staffed by well-trained teachers, supported by experienced coaches and social workers, who know how to talk with, not at, youngsters; a teacher for every 10 or fewer children; a challenging curriculum backed by evidence; and parental involvement.

But quality costs money — $9,076 per student per year, according to a report by two groups, The Institute for Women’s Policy Research and Early Childhood Policy Research. Few states are willing to make that kind of commitment. Florida, the only state to deliver preschool on a scale and at a speed comparable to New York City, offers a cautionary lesson. In 2005, voters there made universal prekindergarten a constitutional right. But quality suffered because the state spent a meager $2,238 for each 4-year-old in 2013-14, largely by using underpaid and poorly trained teachers.

Florida isn’t the only place coming up short. During the 2013-14 school year, the 41 states that provide prekindergarten spent an average of $4,125 per child. That’s not much more, in constant dollars, than a decade earlier, and a little more than a third of the average per-student cost for kindergartners through 12th graders.

On paper, New York City’s full-day program checks the quality boxes. The teachers must have at least a bachelor’s degree. They receive in-class tutoring and help from social workers. The curriculum has been well vetted and the classrooms are well stocked. There’s a spot in a full-day class for every 4-year-old. The city is spending $10,200 for each child, about as much as Boston budgets for its public pre-K, a demonstrably effective program....

What Will New Jersey's Universal Pre-K Look Like?

Universal pre-K is a no brainer when it comes to providing children with a good start.  Then again, brains appear to be in short supply here in New Jersey as voters swept a corrupt Christie administration into office AGAIN.  His record and polices that have hurt just about everyone in the state is as clear as the view from the George Washington Bridge on a sunny day. 

While Christie and his cronies in Trenton hide out from the media, lawyers and the public, Barbara Buono's legislation on school funding reform is making its way to the legislature and getting some serious attention, FINALLY.

The question that needs asking isn't whether universal pre-K is a good idea, the question is what will that pre-k education look like. The Abbott districts and the lucky few could be a model for the state but who will the contracts and the money go to?

As our governor would say, "It's none of your business."

Excerpt from the article at The American Prospect
The Abbott Districts' Fortunate Few, New Jersey's Model Program.

"The bigger hope, of course, is that all the kids will get the help they need, beginning with good preschool. On this front, too, there is some promise. Although Democratic state Senator Barbara Buono, who authored New Jersey’s School Funding Reform Act and campaigned for governor in 2013 on the idea of expanding the state’s preschool program, lost her bid to replace Christie, the effort to provide more needy children with preschool has been recently renewed. Advocates for Children in New Jersey, a group that was involved in the creation of Abbott preschool, just relaunched a campaign to convince the governor and legislature to fully fund preschool for all low-income children." 

The full report on the case for Universal Pre-K