KarunaNews Story

Approximately 70% more New Mexico families are now eligible for free child care. In August 2021, New Mexico dramatically expanded its child-care subsidy program, making roughly half of the state’s children eligible. The state has also waived all co-pays, making child care free for qualified families. Coupled with permanent funding and higher provider pay, New Mexico is a model in early childhood education. “It’s as close as any states have gotten to trying to get at universal (coverage)," says Hailey Heinz, deputy director of the Cradle to Career Policy Institute at the University of New Mexico. After the state’s voters elected Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, on an early childhood platform in 2018, the Early Childhood Education and Care Department brought all the state’s programs under a single umbrella. Then, when COVID-19 unlocked federal money that enabled states to experiment, “New Mexico happened to be primed in many ways from all these years of grassroots advocacy,” Heinz said.