New Mexico has become the first U.S. state to provide free child care for every family regardless of income level. Officials say the program could save families an average of $12,000 a year while strengthening the state’s workforce and economy.
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham hailed the initiative as a major step toward lifting families out of poverty. “Child care is essential to family stability, workforce participation, and New Mexico’s future prosperity,” she said. “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.”
Under the new statewide policy, parents will receive state-funded vouchers that cover both public and private child care expenses. The measure marks the culmination of years of investment in early childhood education, following the establishment of New Mexico’s Early Childhood Education and Care Department in 2019.
The program’s financial impact is already being felt by families like that of Allyson O’Brien, a special education teacher in Taos.
She told Reuters the plan will help her family save roughly $12,000 annually in child care costs for her two-year-old son. “We’ll be able to go on vacation, we won’t have to decide what bills we’re going to pay, like, are we going to do propane or the mortgage?” O’Brien said.
Governor Grisham’s administration has also announced a $12.7 million low-interest loan fund to expand and renovate child care centers statewide, with an additional $20 million requested for the 2027 fiscal budget. “There will be more centers coming up,” said Alison McPartlon, director of the University of New Mexico Taos Kids’ Campus child care center.
To ensure long-term accessibility, the state is partnering with local employers and school districts to expand infant and toddler care options. A statewide recruitment campaign is also underway to encourage more licensed home providers to join the program.
Other states are watching closely. Connecticut recently approved free child care for families earning under $100,000 a year, and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has proposed a universal child care plan of his own.
Experts say New Mexico’s model could become a blueprint for nationwide policy reform, reshaping how the U.S. approaches affordable child care, economic stability, and family support.
