In U.S. first, New Mexico launches free child care for all

New Mexico on Saturday became the first U.S. state to offer free child care to all residents in a bid to boost its economy and lift education and child welfare levels ranked the worst in the country.

TAOS, New Mexico — New Mexico on Saturday became the first U.S. state to offer free child care to all residents in a bid to boost its economy and lift education and child welfare levels ranked the worst in the country.

Under the program, families, regardless of income, can receive state vouchers to cover public and private child care fees. It culminates efforts New Mexico has made to expand access to free child care since the governor and state legislature created the Early Childhood Education and Care Department in 2019.

The launch comes as other Democratic-run states, cities and counties eye a step popular among working families. Connecticut recently passed a bill making child care free for those families earning under $100,000 per year and no more than 7% of income for those earning more. New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has proposed no-cost universal child care.

Taos special education teacher Allyson O’Brien expects to save around $12,000 a year in child care bills for her son Otis, who is nearly 2 1/2. She and her husband Shawn O’Kelly, a truck driver, earn a fraction above New Mexico’s previous income cap for free child care, which was about $129,000 per year for their family of four.

“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.