Growing Up New Mexico CEO Kate Noble, joined by a surprise guest, Early Childhood Education and Care Department Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky, previewed Friday's "Celebrating and Elevating Early Childhood" event at Hotel Encanto, which will bring together state legislators, local leaders, and child care providers to promote Senate Bill 241's new universal child care assistance and Senate Bill 96's streamlined zoning rules for providers. Groginsky said the state needs roughly 12,000 more child care spaces to meet demand, with the sharpest shortages for infants, toddlers, and school-age children, and reported that New Mexico has added over 6,000 spaces and 251 new providers since the initiative launched. The two also discussed the department's home visiting program, which sends trained professionals into families' homes to support child development, and a new wage and career lattice aimed at raising pay for early childhood educators.
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