ECECD and LFC presentations reveal budget concerns and danger to Early Ed Trust Fund
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
SANTA FE, NM—$10 million will be used on a Wage and Career Lattice pilot for early childhood providers this year, according to a representative of the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) in a subcommittee meeting of its Advisory Council this afternoon. That may sound like good news, but the early educators and allies who spent their winters in Santa Fe advocating for funding for the Wage and Career Lattice (WCL) know that $60 million was appropriated for the lattice in House Bill 2.
“We’ve been fighting for the Wage and Career Lattice even years before universal childcare began,” said Olga Grays, an early educator in Las Cruces and leader with OLÉ. Grays was appointed by ECECD to a working group on the Ladder’s implementation this year and was frustrated in today’s meeting to see the $10 million figure. “House Bill 2 has an appropriation that clearly says $60 million dollars goes to the Wage and Career Ladder. The department says they have $10 million to spend on it, so where is the rest of the money going?” asked Grays.
Early childhood educators remain among the lowest-paid workers in New Mexico, with some still earning the state’s minimum wage. Poverty wages contribute to high turnover and a shortage of more than 15,000 childcare slots statewide. The slow implementation of the WCL perpetuates the shortage, preventing the state from recruiting, training, and mentoring the childcare providers New Mexico families need.
In a separate meeting this morning, the Legislative Finance Committee reported that the Early Childhood Trust Fund is at risk of eventual insolvency due to recent diversions to other trust funds and the $700 million transfer in Senate Bill 241. The presenter also noted that one of the law’s several economic triggers for childcare copays on the wealthiest families—a 12-month inflation rate above three percent—has already been met since March. Since the ECECD has not yet implemented copays, questions remain about how the department handles its budget and funding, including the $60 million for wages.
“We really don’t have child care for all. It’s child care for those who are lucky enough to get it,” said Sandra Ibarra, a childcare provider in Albuquerque. “We still have waiting lists and uncertainty as long as wages are low and childcare slots are unavailable.”
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The Kids First Coalition is a group of organizations that advocates for state investment in early childhood education and for professional wages and career advancement for early childhood educators in New Mexico.