NM's big child care wager: Can state find 5,000 more early childhood workers?

SANTA FE — Since Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced New Mexico's universal child care initiative last month, glowing stories have appeared in media outlets from around the globe.

Elizabeth Grogisnky, who has led the state Early Childhood and Education Care Department since it was established in 2020, said the response to the first-of-its-kind initiative has been "overwhelmingly positive."

"At a national level, a lot of people are saying, 'You've given us hope,'" Groginsky said in an interview, saying other states are considering following New Mexico's lead.

But many child care center owners across New Mexico have had a more lukewarm response to the universal child care initiative, which is set to take effect Nov. 1 and will remove existing income limits for receiving state-subsidized child care.

During a public hearing this past week on the proposed rules guiding the implementation of the universal child care program, numerous providers said they were not consulted about the change. Some also expressed concern about the aggressive timeline and the uncertainty of future legislative funding to sustain the program.

Tammie Baker, who owns a child care center in Hobbs, said the higher starting wages of at least $18 per hour proposed by ECECD in order for centers to receive a stepped-up reimbursement rate would remove an incentive for early childhood workers to work their way up the pay ladder by taking continuing education classes.

"Once this universal child care starts, I'm concerned there's going to be friction ... and expectations that can't be met," Baker said.

Other child care center owners said — in both English and Spanish — they might have to close their businesses or let go of some employees to make ends meet.

While ECECD officials consider whether to make changes to the proposed rules over the next three weeks, the Lujan Grisham administration appears determined to move forward with universal child care.

Groginsky acknowledged it will take time to meet the statewide demand for state-subsidized child care for working parents, but expressed confidence the state will be able to meet the challenge.

"We know that many families in New Mexico are going to feel some immediate relief," she said.

But she also cited internal studies showing an existing statewide child care coverage gap, particularly in care for infants and toddlers who require increased staff attention.

Indeed, one of the biggest logistical challenges facing the state is the need for a larger early childhood workforce, with ECECD citing a need for 5,000 additional employees statewide.

So, where will those workers come from?

Groginsky said efforts undertaken in recent years have bolstered training programs at community colleges and universities around New Mexico, leading to greater enrollment in such programs.

Currently, there are more than 900 students enrolled in Central New Mexico Community College's early childhood program, along with about 300 students in such programs at Western New Mexico University in Silver City.

She also cited Lujan Grisham's push to provide tuition-free college for in-state residents, under what's known as the Opportunity Scholarship program, as critical to building such a pipeline.

"You can't underestimate how important free college has been to removing barriers to access for early childhood professionals and for people who want to pursue a career in early childhood," Groginsky said.

However, the challenge of finding and retaining qualified workers will be immense in so-called child care "deserts," or parts of the state where demand for child care slots outpaces available supply.

A legislative report released in August found child care capacity for children under the age of 2 falls short of the need in most New Mexico counties. In Eddy County, for instance, there are only 12 slots for every 100 children of that age, while there were no child care slots at all reported in two largely rural counties — Union and Harding counties.

Building an early childhood workforce

Workers with experience at child care centers in New Mexico say it's not a career for those seeking an easy paycheck.

Sarah Nelson, who teaches pre-kindergarten at the Early Learning Center at Kaune in Santa Fe, said she's been working with young children for 17 years.

But she acknowledged low pay levels have made it difficult for many workers like her to remain in the job.

"I think a lot of people are struggling with their salaries," Nelson said. "We're here because we love it."

She said she first started without any classroom management experience and stressed the importance of proper training for those considering entering the profession.

"It takes a lot of energy, a lot of patience and a lot of love," Nelson said.

Another teacher, Noemi Alvarez, said she was previously planning on a nursing career but decided to stick with early childhood education due to what she described as a high need for educators.

While she said she's happy with her decision to stay in the profession, Alvarez also said it's important for early childhood educators to practice self-care, something she does by spending time with her family, walking and listening to music and podcasts.

"The job is just draining in every aspect," Alvarez said. "It definitely takes a toll on educators."

A home-based solution?

If New Mexico's ambitious universal child care push is to succeed, finding more people like Destiny Montoya will be key.

Montoya opened her home day care in Santa Fe, called Little Bloom Childcare, in May 2024 and already has a wait list of about 30 children. She's even received emails from expecting mothers hoping to enroll their new babies more than a year out.

Currently, Montoya has six kids enrolled at her home day care but hopes to expand. She prepares three meals a day for the children, and recently hired a new employee to help her.

"You have to actually have passion for doing it," said Montoya, who previously worked at a day care center.

Home-based care providers like Montoya are an important part of the state's plan, as the governor's administration has targeted building 55 more licensed child care centers and registering 1,000 new in-home day cares to accommodate the influx of additional families.

To reach that target, the Lujan Grisham administration plans to ask lawmakers to approve an additional $20 million from a loan program that can be used to expand existing child care centers and help build new ones.

Valeria Holloway, who runs an in-home day care in Las Cruces, said she's been getting phone calls from colleagues from around the nation since the governor's universal child care announcement.

She said higher wage levels for early childhood workers could lead to more employees staying in the profession, instead of leaving to take jobs in public schools or other settings.

"That's usually the kicker — we're not in the field of competitiveness with any job," said Holloway.

In order to assist home-based educators, ECECD issued a contract in January to Growing Up New Mexico, a Santa Fe-based nonprofit organization, to create a network of local coaches around the state.

The organization also runs an incentive-based program that provides early childhood centers with financial rewards for registering or licensing with the state, along with professional development milestones for staffers.

Providers already making calculations

Under the proposed universal child care program rules, licensed centers and home-based providers could receive a higher reimbursement rate from the state if they meet certain criteria.

For instance, accredited centers would be paid $890 per month for each full-time preschool student if they are open for at least 10 hours per day and pay their entry-level employees at least $18 per hour.

That's up from a proposed monthly reimbursement rate of $840 per preschool student if that criteria is not met. The rates vary by a child's age, with increased reimbursement available for centers who pay their staff higher wage levels.

Groginsky said the enhanced rate is intended to incentivize child care centers and home day cares to pay their employees more and meet working families' schedules.

She also said paying early child care workers a "fair wage" would help keep them in the field.

But a rapid influx of new early childhood employees and licensed home day care centers could also pose liability concerns.

Background checks involving fingerprinting are currently conducted on all early childhood employees, along with any other adults who live in a home day care facility.

While Groginsky expressed confidence in her agency's ability to process the expected increase in background checks, she said ECECD might have to hire more staffers in order to do so.

A complex financial outlook

The governor's universal child care announcement did not come entirely out of the blue, as Lujan Grisham has openly referred to the goal since taking office in 2019.

She and other supporters of the idea say it could make the state a more desirable location for professionals, while also alleviating a financial strain on working families struggling to make ends meet.

In a recent interview, Groginsky said she was planning to meet with New Mexico State Police officials, who had expressed interest in possibly being able to hire more female officers with the implementation of universal child care.

Overall, roughly 17% of New Mexico households were classified as financially insecure as of 2023, based on the federal poverty level. An additional 29% of households were above the federal poverty level but still struggling to afford basic expenses, according to a report released by the United Ways of New Mexico.

Some of those financial struggles have affected employment decisions.

Adriana Zamora, the assistant director of the Early Learning Center at Kaune in Santa Fe, said she was initially hesitant to accept a promotion this year because its accompanying pay hike would have bumped her own family above the current threshold to qualify for state-paid child care assistance. That threshold is set at 400% of the federal poverty level, or $128,600 for a family of four.

But with the governor's universal child care announcement, Zamora said she will be able to accept the salary increase without worrying about losing the child care subsidy.

"Working with kids has always brought a lot of life into me," said Zamora, who had her son last year and says she has always loved spending time around children.

"It takes a lot of heart to do what we do," she said. "Even on the hardest days, you always have that one moment that makes it worth it."