Healthy food for kids, reliable work for parents: How New Mexico's free universal child care will impact families

Gabriela Muñoz Lopez used to pay $300 to $400 per month on child care for her two kids, a 7-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son.

Then, about a year ago, she says that monthly expense went away.

Muñoz Lopez, 41, and her family qualify for free child care in New Mexico, which in 2022 expanded its child care assistance program to families earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level, or $106,600 for a family of three.

For Muñoz Lopez, the savings every month means she has more money to put toward her kids, like for sports programs and other extra-curriculars. With her kids in reliable care, she scaled up her hours from a part-time schedule to work full-time, about 35 to 40 hours per week, at her waitressing job.

Starting Nov. 1, New Mexico is set to become the first state to extend free universal child care to all families, regardless of income level.