New Mexico is the first state to promise free child care for all families

By MORGAN LEE Associated Press SANTA FE N M AP New Mexico s governor is promising universal free child care to families of all income levels Related Articles Humpty Dumpty caper at New Jersey mini-golf subject sparks police review Child dies from complication of measles contracted years earlier Amazon s Zoox launches its robotaxi arrangement in Las Vegas FTC launces inquiry into AI chatbots acting as companions and their effects on children Massachusetts educator suspended after inappropriate comments about Charlie Kirk Gov Michelle Lujan Grisham communicated her plans this week saying she wants to leverage a financial windfall from oil and gas production to help more parents by removing the state s income eligibility limit starting Nov Rules for the operation are being hashed out and lawmakers still have to approve funding but New Mexico already is several measures ahead of other states when it comes to subsidizing child care The latest initiative expands on previous early childhood tuition investments by extending access to another children and making low-interest loans available to spur construction of new child care centers as demands surge Lujan Grisham says it s life-changing for parents to have free child care since it means more money can be spent on utilities and groceries Gaining traction Americans overwhelmingly view the cost of child care as a crucial issue but there are deep divisions over what the cabinet s role should be in addressing it mainly whether it should foot the costs A great number of states are limited in what they can take on as President Donald Trump s administration cuts or freezes billions of dollars in guidance funding Lujan Grisham hopes the initiative stirs conversations beyond New Mexico My hope is as we watch elections take hold around the country that our congressional candidates are talking about these investments our gubernatorial candidates are talking about these investments in child care the second-term Democrat revealed The concept of free child care is being embraced by lawmakers including Zohran Mamdani the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City through proposed tax hikes Oregon s the bulk populous county ramped up its universal preschool venture this year despite funding issues and enthusiasm for early childhood training spawned the creation last year of a dedicated state agency in Illinois Footing the bill New Mexico in began diverting surplus authorities income linked to surging oil and gas production to a trust for early childhood tuition The balance is nearing billion with about million in stake earnings being funneled each year to early childhood teaching programs The child care expansion will draw on those savings several federal funding and a request that state legislators provide an additional million annually That s a increase over current spending of million Lujan Grisham spokesperson Michael Coleman explained The Democratic-led Legislature has balked at entitlement programs before repeatedly rejecting paid family leave requirements for the private sector Republican lawmakers are concerned that the governor s latest plan would end in a handout for wealthy families New Mexico in expanded eligibility and waived copayments for child care assistance to families earning as much as four times the federal poverty rate about for a family of four this year Paul Gessing president of the libertarian Rio Grande Foundation in New Mexico disclosed it s baffling that a Democratic governor would come to the financial aid of upper-income parents We re already doing this up to of the poverty level that s a pretty decent amount of money to be making he noted By eliminating the income cutoff state administrators aim to improve family financial stability encourage participation in the financial market and better prepare toddlers for school Hurdles To meet increased demand the Lujan Grisham administration says it will need more than new licensed child care centers licensed homes that accommodate a dozen children and as a large number of as new registered homes that serve four children Child care slots already are in short supply across New Mexico And attendance from low-income families declined as assistance expanded to higher income brackets according to a review by the Legislature s budget and accountability office There s also little evidence that New Mexico children are better prepared for school than children in other states The survey by the Annie E Casey Foundation ranked New Mexico s citizens training system last among states The governor s plan includes incentives to improve quality raising hourly base pay for child care workers to at least where excellence is demonstrated The universal child care guarantee will cover crucial infant and toddler years before and after children become eligible for masses preschool defraying average annual costs of about per year Eligibility for child care assistance also will extend to grandparents who are in charge of grandchildren often because of parents struggling with addiction with no work requirement Associated Press writer Claire Rush contributed from Portland Ore The Associated Press women in the workforce and state administration coverage receives financial patronage from Pivotal Ventures AP is solely responsible for all content Find AP s standards for working with philanthropies a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP org