OPINION: Home-based child care should be included in New Mexico's universal child care program

At 5:15 a.m., while most of Albuquerque is still asleep, María locks the door of her home. Her 2-year-old son, bundled against the cold and still half-asleep, rides across town to Rosa’s house, a neighbor who has cared for children in her home for more than 15 years. By 6 a.m., María is clocking in for her hospital shift. Without Rosa’s flexibility, trust and care, María couldn’t keep her job.

Stories like María’s are not the exception in New Mexico. They are the backbone of our child care system.

When New Mexico made history by embedding a constitutional amendment to guarantee early childhood education funding, the state became a national model. Yet as we build a universal child care system, we risk overlooking a critical piece: home-based child care providers.

Home-based child care (HBCC), including licensed family child care providers and trusted family, friend and neighbor caregivers, is the most common form of child care in the country. Nearly one-third of infants and toddlers rely on home-based care as their primary arrangement. Families choose it not only because it is accessible or affordable, but because it is personal. Providers often speak families’ languages, share cultural traditions and build relationships that last years, sometimes across generations. Children aren’t just enrolled; they’re known.

This matters in a state where many parents do not work a 9-to-5 schedule. Energy, agriculture, ranching and tourism power New Mexico’s economy at dawn, overnight and on weekends. Home-based providers make this possible: 82% of unpaid and 63% of paid family, friend and neighbor caregivers offer care during nontraditional hours, compared to just 8% of centers.

For parents working early oil field shifts near Hobbs or managing guests late into the night in Santa Fe, home-based care is often the only reliable option.

It is also essential in rural communities. From the Navajo Nation to the Gila region, families often rely on relatives or licensed family providers because there are few alternatives.

Too often, “quality” is defined by standards designed for institutional settings. Home-based providers demonstrate quality differently, through small group sizes, consistent caregivers and individualized attention. Research suggests that conversational turn-taking, a key indicator of interactive caregiver-child engagement and a strong predictor of early language development, can be higher in home-based environments than in many center-based settings.

Home-based providers are also skilled professionals. Nearly 70% of licensed family child care providers nationwide have more than a decade of experience, and many have completed college coursework or hold degrees. They reflect the diversity, languages and cultural richness of New Mexico.

As New Mexico continues to lead on early childhood investment, home-based child care must be fully included in the state’s universal child care vision. That means ensuring legislation, funding and professional development recognize these providers as essential partners.

Specifically, policymakers should recognize home-based providers as core components of the early childhood system; offer incentives and technical support for those serving families during nontraditional hours; ensure child care assistance and quality improvement funds are accessible to family child care and family, friend and neighbor caregivers, particularly in rural and tribal communities; and elevate the voices of providers and the families who rely on them in shaping the system.

Universal child care cannot be truly universal if it works only for families with predictable schedules or access to centers. By embracing home-based care, New Mexico can build a system that meets families where they are, ensuring every family can find and afford the care they trust, whether in a classroom or in the heart of someone’s home.

Natalie Renew is the executive director of Home Grown (www.homegrownchildcare.org).