September 10, 2020

State waives co-payments for childcare for next two months

The state will waive parent co-payments for child care for September and October. The Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) announced Wednesday that it will cover the revenue child care programs would have received from the parent co-payments and the state will include this amount in its regular monthly reimbursement checks. The ECECD has […]

Susan Dunlap

The state will waive parent co-payments for child care for September and October.

The Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) announced Wednesday that it will cover the revenue child care programs would have received from the parent co-payments and the state will include this amount in its regular monthly reimbursement checks.

The ECECD has offered additional initiatives during the pandemic to support early child care, though some critics have said the efforts did not go far enough.

The state has also offered free child care to essential workers and provided wage incentives to more than 3,100 early child care workers, according to the news release.

The ECECD has also awarded Child Care Recovery and Stabilization grants to about 500 licensed child care facilities and partnered with other agencies to help connect families who need child care with providers who offer it during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The child care assistance eligibility is up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, which is about $52,400 for a family of four.

“The pandemic has created economic challenges for New Mexico families – and for child care providers. By waiving parents’ co-payments, we’re making it easier for families to afford child care while ensuring providers continue to receive revenues,” said ECECD Cabinet Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky through the release.