Children are busy learning through play at the Little Forest Playschool. Courtesy photo
By MARLENE WILDEN
Los Alamos Daily Post
marlene@ladailypost.com
New Mexico became the first U.S. state to guarantee no-cost child care starting Nov. 1, making services free for families of all income levels with children up to age 13.
The roughly $600 million-a-year program is funded largely by investment earnings from the state’s $10 billion Early Childhood Education and Care Fund, which has grown since its creation in 2020 using revenue from oil and gas taxes.
The state joins European countries such as Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Germany that provide heavily subsidized, widely accessible child care from infancy through preschool age. Bulgaria has gone further by eliminating all fees for public nurseries and kindergartens.
New Mexico officials have taken an additional step by establishing a constitutional amendment that secures the right to early childhood education backed by permanent public funding. This makes New Mexico the first to pair such a right with an income-blind, statewide child care assistance system aimed at universal access.
Other states and cities are experimenting with similar initiatives. Free child care was a central plank in Zohran Mamdani’s recent mayoral campaign in New York City, which reflects a growing national push.
Implementation Challenges for Providers
Although the effort is funded and underway, the initial rules were published Nov. 4, and some provisions were amended the same day, leaving many providers scrambling to understand how to participate. Coverage depends on provider participation and program rules; not every child is automatically covered.
In Los Alamos and White Rock, the model is unfolding unevenly, creating the impression that some centers are joining immediately while others are waiting. The variation reflects administrative timelines rather than intentional delay.
Leading the local transition is April Wade, director of Little Forest Playschool, the only licensed center in Los Alamos County with a five-star rating in the state’s FOCUS quality system. Because reimbursement rates increase sharply with higher ratings, Little Forest opted in on day one.
Before Nov. 1, the center charged families $1,715 per month for full-time infant care. Under universal child care, the state now reimburses $2,500 per month for the same slot.
“We ran the numbers and we’re coming out on top,” Wade said. “Our star rating is what makes it feasible. Without that higher tier, you just can’t sustain a business on the rates.”
Reimbursement Drives Participation
The new reimbursement formulas help explain why some centers enrolled immediately while others moved more cautiously. Many providers historically did not accept large numbers of families receiving state child care assistance, so completing the FOCUS verification process offered little financial advantage. Now that state reimbursement exceeds private-pay tuition, the incentives have flipped.
Wade has been mentoring other local providers through the steps needed to meet state criteria and prepare for potential increased demand. She is currently working with Ponderosa Montessori School, Quemazon Montessori School and others.
Achieving the highest rating requires an ongoing improvement process and comprehensive documentation of children’s learning through portfolios. Verification alone takes about nine weeks, though processing can be delayed depending on time of year.
“It’s not that anyone is choosing to hold off,” Wade said. “Most providers need nine to 12 months of documentation before they can even apply.”
Documentation, Accreditation and Financial Risk
Directors at Ponderosa and Quemazon described their similar timelines, pursuing both FOCUS verification and National Early Childhood Program Accreditation in parallel. Whichever approval arrives first will determine when they can participate in the universal system.
“For us, it’s not the quality of care—it’s the paperwork,” said Sharon Seitz, longtime director of Ponderosa Montessori School. “We’ve been doing five-star work for decades, but accreditation and FOCUS aren’t about what happens in the classroom. It’s binders upon binders of documentation. If we could do it today for free for everyone, we would. But teachers need to be paid and doors have to stay open.”
At Quemazon Montessori, Director Tammy Tucker, who previously offered her own scholarships at the school instead of participating in the state program, said providers are absorbing financial risk. The state reimburses in arrears, and centers cannot charge families the difference if rates fall below costs.
“We want parents to benefit, absolutely. But we need time to get everything in order and train staff. Accepting lower reimbursements just to ‘flip the switch’ would put us in a precarious position, and we can’t do that to our families or our employees,” Tucker said.
Expanding Capacity and Community Support
The state estimates it must create nearly 14,000 additional slots and recruit 5,000 educators to make universal care fully functional. A newly established $12.7 million low-interest loan fund aims to help providers expand or build new facilities.
Little Forest has applied for one of those loans and hopes to add two classrooms by next year. If approved, Wade expects the expansion, along with progress from neighboring centers, to begin easing the County’s shortage of infant and toddler care by August 2026. Families seeking universal child care can use the state’s child care finder tool on the Early Childhood Education & Care Department website. However, many parents face long wait lists. Wade said the rapid rollout created confusion, but she remains focused on helping the community stabilize during the transition.
“Little Forest has been part of this system from the beginning, so we knew how to make it work,” she said. “Now I feel it’s our turn to lift up every center in town, to share what we know, and make sure every family has access to the care and support they deserve.”