Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 12, 2026
CONTACT
Julia Sclafani
Public Relations Specialist
Email: ECECD-PIO@ececd.nm.gov
Mobile: (505) 699–5937
1120 Paseo De Peralta
Santa Fe, NM 87501
SANTA FE, N.M. — The New Mexico Senate passed two bills this week aimed at strengthening New Mexico’s nation-leading Universal Child Care program by putting key protections into law and reducing local barriers that can limit child care supply.
The Senate approved SB 96 on Wednesday and SB 241 on Thursday, and both measures now move to the New Mexico House of Representatives for consideration.
Senate Bill 241, the Child Care Assistance Program Act, would codify New Mexico’s child care assistance program in statute and establish guardrails and requirements for how the program is administered. The bill includes stronger transparency and reporting requirements, directs the use of a cost estimation model to help inform reimbursement rates and outlines program parameters related to copayments and waitlists.
Senate Bill 96, the Regulated Child Care Zoning Requirements Act, would address zoning and permitting barriers by creating more consistent statewide rules for where regulated child care can operate. The bill would automatically allow regulated child care homes in residential areas, limit local requirements that exceed what applies to other residences, prohibit homeowner associations from restricting regulated child care, and provide clearer standards where child care centers can be located.
“Universal Child Care only works when families can count on stable, reliable care and when providers can actually open and grow to serve the communities that need them,” said Early Childhood Education and Care Department Sec. Elizabeth Groginsky. “These bills strengthen both sides of that promise— protecting the program in statute and clearing barriers that are holding back the child care supply New Mexico needs.”
The legislation builds on New Mexico’s Universal Child Care expansion that took effect Nov. 1, when the state removed income limits for eligibility for child care assistance and set a goal to grow the supply of child care statewide. Since the expansion, over 13,000 new children have been enrolled in the child care assistance program. Forty-four percent of newly enrolled families had incomes below the previous eligibility cap, underscoring how Universal Child Care improves access for families at all income levels.
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Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham launched the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) in 2020, making New Mexico among the first states to consolidate all early childhood programs and services under a single cabinet-level agency. Under this administration, ECECD has led the nation by expanding access to free New Mexico PreK, overseeing the largest investment in early childhood infrastructure in state history, and implementing cost-free child care for a majority of New Mexico families. Learn more about how ECECD supports children, families, and the early childhood professionals that serve our communities at nmececd.org. On Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as @NewMexicoECECD.