Overview

• Income limits will be eliminated for the state’s assistance program, waiving copays and extending eligibility to grandparents raising grandchildren with no work requirement.
• The administration cites an early childhood trust nearing $10 billion and roughly $500 million in annual investment earnings, alongside federal funds and a request for $120 million more each year.
• Officials project access for another 12,000 children and will launch a $12.7 million low-interest loan fund to build, expand, and renovate child care facilities.
• Meeting demand is expected to require more than 50 new licensed centers, 120 licensed homes, and up to 1,000 new registered homes, plus roughly 5,000 additional early childhood workers.
• Families are projected to save about $12,000 per child annually, while some Republican lawmakers and the Rio Grande Foundation criticize removing income caps as subsidizing higher-income households.