New Mexico becomes first state to offer free childcare for all: 'model for the nation'

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Guardian

Tue 9 Sep 2025 20.34 EDT
Last modified on Tue 9 Sep 2025 20.35 EDT


New Mexico will become the first state to offer free universal childcare, the governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announced this week, an expansion of an existing program that has helped lift tens of thousands of people out of poverty. Beginning 1 November, the state will guarantee no-cost childcare to all residents, regardless of their income level in what the governor’s office described as a “groundbreaking new initiative”.

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

In 2022, the state became the first to offer childcare at no cost to most families, making it free for those who earned up to 400% of the federal poverty level, which amounts to about $124,000 for a family of four. About half of the children in the state qualified.

The development yielded significant results in the state, one of the poorest in the US, and its poverty rate began to fall. Early childhood educators saw reduced poverty rates as New Mexico raised wages for childcare workers and changed its subsidy reimbursement rates to reflect the actual cost of providing care. One researcher described it as a “generational change”.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/09/new-mexico-free-universal-childcare

[Lovie777]

1. Well some good news...........................

[everyonematters]

2. If this works well, I look for the next Democratic nominee for president to make it a policy proposal.

[KS Toronado]

9. I can hear the R turmoil already.....

" Honey are we going to allow the libs to own us for saving us $5,000 a year on daycare? "
Meanwhile Rump will be screaming " they're buying votes! "

[Wednesdays]

13. It won't even be that complicated for the MAGAts

They'll just scream "sOcIaLiSm!!!"

[KS Toronado]

14. LOL, you're probably correct.

[Clouds Passing]

3. Michelle Lujan Grisham moving our state forward!

[mountain grammy]

4. I love New Mexico

Highly recommend this state. Visit it once and you'll always want to go back.

[Bayard]

15. Came very close to moving there

This is a fantastic decision!

[mountain grammy]

16. I still dream of living there

But my spouse is stubborn and I’m nearly 78 so….

[Hornedfrog2000]

5. Drove through new mexico when i got my dog

I was surprised how pretty it, and eastern arizona were

[barbtries]

6. that's wonderful.

it should be universal. That it's happening now is especially significant imo.

[IronLionZion]

7. Sure it starts with free childcare, but quickly ends in Siberian gulags

the slippery slope of socialism as described by Republicans.

[duhneece]

8. I live in a red county in south central NM.

I’m so proud of our Governor.
I’ve responded to folks (mostly Republicans) who are opposed to this with
We get a choice.
Do we provide help for those who need it (and the dirty dogs who take advantage who don’t)
OR
Do we deny help to those who need it so that we don’t provide help to those who don’t?

[TygrBright]

10. This took a long time and a lot of work, to bring to fruition.

My gratitude goes out to dozens of determined community activists who have been working on this issue for more than a decade.

My gratitude goes out to hundreds of ordinary community members who answered the call to provide testimony, information, and participation in making this happen.

My gratitude goes out to many conscientious state employees who provided data and information and planning assistance because they KNOW how this will affect our neighbors.

My gratitude goes out to some courageous elected officials who ignored peer pressure and lobbyist cash and threats of primaries and negative PR and stuck with the effort through the final votes.

My gratitude goes out to an intelligent, compassionate, competent Governor who put the interests of all New Mexico residents and especially our children and our future first.

Thank you all.

appreciatively,
Bright

[ALBliberal]

12. I am thankful for all of their efforts thanks for putting

This in perspective!

[ALBliberal]

11. Albuquerque here. This is awesome news.

[Mysterian]

17. Difficult to believe the great State of New Mexico

is right next to shit-hole Texas.

[womanofthehills]

18. The great state of NM also has free busses in Albuquerque

And free college tuition,

We have more money than ever before- kind of a Catch-22. The Permian Basin is contributing billions to NM’s budget. We went from a “budget challenged state to one with AAA credit ratings.” So way more money but more pollution & ozone from fracking.

I have lived rural in the middle of NM for the past 25 yrs after living in Albuquerque for years. Grew up in NJ. Come out here to UNM with four friends when I was young - they all went back east but I could not leave because I loved it so much.

The closest small town to me has 900 people - half Republican & half Dems but we have a very active young Hispanic Dem mayor - who is very close to our governor. He is running for his third term and he has done so much for the local kids, I know he will win.

It’s beyond beautiful where I live in the foothills of the Manzanos. Thousands of pine and juniper trees surround me and a fantastic view of the Mountains. I build ontop of a hill for panoramic views. My boyfriend & I with the help of friend built my house. I live in a community of mostly women who have built their own houses - earthships, straw bale, rammed earth, adobe etc. We all built our houses 25 yrs ago at the same time and now we are all old and all have various aches and pains.

[Warpy]

19. Don't forget that lightly populated NM kicked Texas's butt in the Civil War

This was a good fit for me when I knew I had to leave Boston because I'd finally gotten priced out.