Universal Child Care: Real Problem, Wrong Solution

New Mexico’s universal child care experiment will likely worsen shortages and raise costs. Families will pay—if they can get care at all.

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Commentary

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced in September that New Mexico will become the first state in the nation to guarantee free child care for its residents beginning on Nov. 1. While the governor’s intentions may be admirable, her approach misdiagnoses the cause of rising child care costs and other child care-related challenges facing American families. Rather than serving as a model for other states or the federal government to follow, New Mexico’s plan is a trial run in the wrong direction.