I was at dinner this last weekend with my husband and another couple, all of whom are somewhat to the political left of me. We hadn’t gotten together for a few months, so we had a bit to catch up on. We hashed around a lot of topics and finally got to universal childcare, which took effect in New Mexico on Nov. 1.
Everyone else at the table was an enthusiastic “Yes!” for the premise. I started from not quite the opposite position, but rather, “But, how…” before agreeing that access to childcare could be a crucial boost to help relieve our state’s endemic poverty. I decided I needed to look into that “But, how…”
My skepticism comes from New Mexico’s failure to deliver on outcomes for children, period. Whether high school graduation rates, math and reading test scores, low birth weight, or child death rates, New Mexico ranks among the worst in the nation year after year.
Giving working parents a hand up could be a crucial tool in overcoming poverty which is a root cause for many of our children’s woes in New Mexico. I can’t be against helping families. I decided I needed to get smart on the state’s universal childcare program.
What information is available is at the Early Childhood Education & Care Department website. The Universal Childcare program requires registration by parents/guardians and providers. Key elements: participation is optional for both families and providers; the childcare is provided by private providers, not state providers; and reimbursement goes to the provider, not the family.
Providers must be licensed by the state and pay state-established minimum staff rates. These are higher than state minimum wages. This ensures a baseline level of quality and performance. Home childcare providers may participate if they are willing to meet licensure and compensation requirements.
I’m not mad at any of this. Participation is optional. It’s still private childcare. Reimbursement to the provider on a per-child basis will go far to prevent fraud.
There is also a fairly straightforward tool to find and sign up for spots in available participating childcare centers.
And there is where we run into a snag. The only cities with any real capacity for new enrollees are Albuquerque and Las Cruces. Sunland Park, Raton, Socorro, and Santa Fe have available spots in the single digits. Lordsburg, Los Alamos, Hobbs, Portales, Roswell, Los Lunas, and Alamogordo have spots open in one to three centers in each town but don’t specify how many. And that is all I could find. Silver City, zero. Same in Gallup, Grants, Carlsbad, Ruidoso, Taos, Las Vegas, Tucumcari and Española.
That’s for centers participating in NM Universal Childcare – remember, not every childcare center is participating yet, and not every childcare center has to. According to a report from the Legislative Finance Committee, there are only enough childcare centers, total, for one out of three infants in the state. In rural areas, the numbers are even worse. Our state doesn’t have enough childcare, period.
So there is a capacity problem. There is a loan fund to build new centers or fix up old ones. This is fine and well. More workers will also be needed; training and certification programs will have to be created to quickly develop this workforce. Mothers interested in these jobs should be given priority for available childcare spots while they complete their certifications.
My other worry is sustainability. This is going to cost about $12,000 per child per year. Right now this is being funded with a combination of federal funds (!) and state funds. The LFC report I mentioned cites 27,000 children in childcare now, and projects another 12,000 entering childcare with NM Universal Childcare coming online. Federal funds should not be counted on in coming years. The cost to administer this program looks to be some $470 million annually.
The Early Childhood Trust Fund, which I believe is the primary state source of funding, currently holds about $9.4 billion. It is estimated to stand at about $11 billion by 2029. Established in 2019 by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham with a one-time $300 million appropriation, this has been a wildly successful fund. More such similar funds should be established while the state coffers are flush.
When I express concerns about sustainability, they are two-fold. The first is basic accounting. It will be hard for any future administration to turn off or roll back in any way such a rich benefit. And this is a half-billion-dollar commitment in an uncertain time.
My second concern is the rural-urban balance. It’s already way off in so many areas, and it is in childcare. Offering free childcare is a tremendous leg up for many families. I wonder if they will have time to wait for centers to open in Chaparral or Grants or if they will just move to Albuquerque or Las Cruces where there are more jobs and childcare spaces?
The needs of children are incredibly immediate. Young families need childcare now; and their communities need them. If the young families leave, our small towns will become retiree communities (without healthcare, but that’s another column).
Through a conservative lens, it’s easy to have a knee-jerk reaction to the words “universal childcare.” I think the New Mexico program has some real issues with capacity, distribution, and sustainment. But…I’m not sure we shouldn’t try it. This is not “the state raising our children.” It’s an optional program for both families and for providers that offers a massive boost to propel parents into the workforce. This last element is the argument that turns my “But…” into a “Yes.”
Merritt Hamilton Allen is a PR executive and former Navy officer. She appeared regularly as a panelist on NM PBS and is a frequent guest on News Radio KKOB. A Republican for 36 years, she became an independent upon reading the 2024 Republican platform. She lives amicably with her Democratic husband north of I-40 where they run one head of dog, and one of cat. She can be reached at news.ind.merritt@gmail.com.
