OPINION: Universal child care will fail without support

With more than 20 years in early childhood education, I urge the Early Childhood Education and Care Department to start by asking one simple question: What do the people who do this work every day truly need to succeed?

As universal child care becomes a reality in New Mexico, early childhood community program directors are hesitant yet cautiously optimistic about what this means for families who need care in our diverse and culturally unique programs, especially those relying on diverse, culturally sensitive programs providing full-day, year-round care to our state’s most vulnerable children.

Meanwhile, the Children Youth and Families Department is in turmoil, with advocates fighting every single day for solutions aimed at protecting children from abuse and death. We must bridge the gap between early childhood programs and the children and families who need sustained support.

Universal child care is one big Band-Aid for this critically important issue, but it’s not big enough. Child care directors are used to spinning plates. We balance the business, the regulations, the ever-changing political landscape of child care, and whatever else the state throws our way. We are already one of the most regulated industries in the state. It’s what we do, and we are willing to lead the charge for New Mexico families, but we don’t have nearly enough support in our classrooms.

Throwing money at a problem has never worked, not without the input and support of the frontline workers who are going to push through all the bureaucratic red tape and provide the complex and intensive care that most of our families need. Easier access to child care is excellent, but it’s not enough. Our teachers need more than classroom resources in a box. They need systemic support. We need professional mental and behavioral health support in our programs, learning our community culture and advocating for our children alongside us. We need in-person cohorts to help our teachers connect to others around them. Our teachers need community.

We have tremendous programs in New Mexico that, despite the establishment of a new department, remain siloed. Home visiting is one of the most important tools that we have in the fight against child abuse and neglect, yet we don’t mobilize these programs in our child care centers. There are excellent home visiting training opportunities that our child care community could greatly benefit from. Yet, despite feedback from those of us with our feet in both communities, no changes have been made.

Why did we choose this line of work? Because we want to make a difference. We are in the trenches, doing the work alongside our families, and it is truly worth it. But funding and regulation need to empower us to do the good work, not hinder or harm us.

Here’s an opinion from the frontlines: We will champion the cause. We always have. We do not need micromanagement and over-regulation from a government department. Give us the support that we desperately need. If New Mexico truly wants quality universal care, it must start by trusting and supporting the people who make that care possible.