New Mexico
Working families in New Mexico need accessible, affordable, quality child care and early learning opportunities for their children.
Currently, federal and state early learning programs reach thousands of young children and their families in New Mexico. But too many working families in New Mexico are missing out. As a direct result of child care issues, the New Mexico economy loses millions of dollars each year in the form of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.
There are 140k children ages 5 and under in New Mexico – 60% of these children have all available parents in the workforce.
The typical annual cost of child care for an infant in New Mexico is around $13,500.
The Child Care and Development Block Grant only reaches 16% of eligible families. This federal program helps low-income parents afford child care.
On average, child care providers in New Mexico earn just $29,280 a year; this can make it a challenge to recruit and retain this workforce, leading to supply issues.
New Mexico’s economy loses $586M annually due to child care challenges.
New Mexico: In The Headlines
For Some Tribal Communities, Head Start Programs Provide a Cultural Lifeline
The 74 | June 23, 2025
Of the 34 Head Start and Early Head Start programs in New Mexico, half are on tribal lands; Walatowa is one of three that implements a formal language immersion program.
New Mexico’s Investments in Early Care and Education Begin to Show Progress
The 74 | June 17, 2025
The dollars from the Land Grant Permanent Fund have allowed for substantial investment in early childhood.
Despite gains in child care supply, New Mexico still falling short in meeting families’ demand
Santa Fe New Mexican | June 17, 2025
Despite significant progress in the number of child care slots in New Mexico, the state is still falling far short of fully meeting the needs of families.
New Mexico Resources & News
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