Affordable Daycare in New Mexico
Families who qualify can get help paying through Universal Child Care, and the daycares listed here accept it.
- daycares that accept child care assistance listed
- 46
- towns
- 11
- towns have their own affordable daycare page
- 2
- of all New Mexico daycares
- 6%
Map of New Mexico: each dot is a town with daycares that accept child care assistance, sized by how many are listed
Cost and help paying
What daycare costs in New Mexico, and help paying for it
- Head Start or Early Head Start centers in New Mexico
- 119
- Free for children from birth to 5 in families who qualify, by income or because they receive public assistance.
New Mexico
Largest towns for affordable daycare in New Mexico
Programs
Programs in New Mexico
Counts come from each daycare's name and what it says it offers; the state license list is not on DaycarePal yet. A daycare without a tag may still offer the program; ask.
| Program | Listed |
|---|---|
| All daycares | 709 |
| Take infants | 94 |
| Child care centers | 701 |
| Accept subsidy | 46 |
| In-home daycares | 8 |
| Christian & church daycares | 45 |
| Montessori schools | 35 |
| Preschools & pre-K | 157 |
| Early morning daycare | 200 |
| Part-time daycare | 26 |
| Drop-in daycare | 12 |
| Bilingual daycare | 33 |
| Head Start | 119 |
The New Mexico license list
New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department licenses daycares in New Mexico. The New Mexico license list is not on DaycarePal yet.
- Listings
- From public business listings: the name, address, phone, website and hours each business publishes
- License
- No license record is matched to these listings yet; that does not mean a daycare is unlicensed
- Inspections
- Not on these listings; check the state's own search
Before you enroll
Paying for daycare in New Mexico
- 1
Apply for assistance first
Your state decides who qualifies and how much it pays. Apply through the state's child care assistance office before you choose a daycare.
- 2
Ask about the copayment
Most families pay a share of the cost. Ask the daycare whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much.
- 3
Ask about open subsidy spots
Some daycares cap how many children on assistance they take. Ask whether a spot is open now.
- 4
Check the license record
Open a listing for its state license and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record.
New Mexico
Cost, inspections and ratios in New Mexico
A to Z
All 11 New Mexico towns with affordable daycare, A to Z
A3 towns
- Acoma Pueblo1 accept assistance
- Albuquerque30 accept assistance
- Aztec1 accept assistance
B1 town
- Belen1 accept assistance
E1 town
- Española1 accept assistance
L1 town
- Las Cruces5 accept assistance
R3 towns
- Ranchos De Taos1 accept assistance
- Rio Rancho2 accept assistance
- Ruidoso1 accept assistance
S1 town
- Santa Fe2 accept assistance
T1 town
- Tijeras1 accept assistance
No town on this list matches. Check the spelling, or search by ZIP code above.
Nearby
Nearby states
Questions
Questions about affordable daycare in New Mexico
How many daycares that accept child care assistance are in New Mexico?
46 daycares that accept child care assistance are listed in 11 New Mexico towns. Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.
Which New Mexico town has the most daycares that accept child care assistance?
Albuquerque, with 30 listed. Next are Las Cruces (5) and Rio Rancho (2).
How do I apply for child care assistance in New Mexico?
Apply through Universal Child Care, run by the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department. It is for any New Mexico family that is working or going to school, regardless of income or immigration status. Some families, such as grandparents raising grandchildren or families with housing instability, do not need to meet the work or school requirement. Income limits change each year, so check the current limits on the state's site.
Is there free daycare?
Some families can get it. Head Start and Early Head Start are free for children from families who qualify, and some states waive the family's share of the cost for the lowest incomes. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.
Does a daycare that accepts assistance cost more?
Not by itself. Accepting assistance means the daycare takes payments from the state program; its own prices vary like any daycare's. Ask whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much you would pay.
How does child care assistance work?
Each state runs a child care assistance program, paid for in part by the federal Child Care and Development Fund. Families who qualify by income, and usually by working, looking for work or going to school, get help paying a daycare that accepts it; the help is often called a voucher or subsidy. Most families pay a share called a copayment, set by the state. Apply through the New Mexico child care assistance office.
Can I get free daycare?
Some families can. States may waive the copayment for families with the lowest incomes, and Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.
Who licenses daycares in New Mexico?
New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department licenses daycares in New Mexico. Its license list is not on DaycarePal yet, so the listings here come from public business listings and show no license or inspection record. Use the state's own search, linked on this page, to check a daycare's license.