13-05-2025
'We're not trying to become millionaires': New Mexico early childhood centers push for better wages
ALBUQUERQUE — Fernando Noriega says first and foremost, being an early childhood educator requires patience and love for the work.
But Noriega, a teacher at Caterpillar Clubhouse Daycare in Albuquerque, says he sees what amounts to a revolving door in educators, who despite loving what they do simply cannot sustain their families on $15 per hour or lower wages.
Instead, many opt for easier — yet better-paying — jobs.
'We're not trying to become millionaires,' he said, speaking in Spanish. 'We just want to cover the necessities of our families, and to keep doing what we want, what we love, which is to care for children. That's it.'
At least 18 early childhood centers throughout the state temporarily closed their doors Monday as part of a national annual 'Day Without Child Care.' In New Mexico, providers and educators demanded state lawmakers and officials institute $3 per hour pay bumps, to about $18 per hour, and a more clear path for compensation for workers.
Ana Castro speaks during the news conference
Ana Castro calls on lawmakers and state officials to implement pay increases for early childhood workers during a news conference Monday in Albuquerque. The conference, at the Love and Care Child Development Center, was part of a national day of action calling for improvements to states' early childhood systems.
'I ask: What would our community do without our service, without our training, without our calling?' asked Ana Castro in Spanish during a Monday morning news conference outside one of the temporarily closed centers in Albuquerque. '... We deserve more.'
The call comes after advocates and the Early Childhood Education and Care Department during this year's legislative session asked lawmakers for more than $150 million to implement pay raises and a wage and career ladder for workers. State and federal dollars provide significant assistance to child care providers, which are often small businesses, including setting aside $77 million for grants to fund $3 per hour pay bumps in 2022.
The request for a wage and career ladder came with a $10 million price tag. The pay raises proposal was bundled into a larger $104.6 million request for a pilot program to broadly improve child care outcomes across New Mexico.
Neither ask, however, made it into the state budget for fiscal year 2026. Regardless, the early childhood department Monday said it will keep working toward increasing pay for workers.
'Governor [Michelle] Lujan Grisham's administration remains deeply committed to increasing compensation and wages for early childhood professionals,' early childhood department spokesperson Julia Sclafani said in a statement. 'As we move forward, we will actively engage providers and early educators to ensure their voices are heard and reflected in the decision-making process.'
Fernando pushes Eva in a toy car
Fernando Noriega pushes his 3-year-old daughter, Eva, in a toy car at the Love and Care Child Development Center in Albuquerque on Monday. The two were attending a news conference as part of a national "Day Without Child Care" meant to demand better pay and supports for early childhood workers.
Last year, the Legislature appropriated $5 million for each of the following three fiscal years for the early childhood department to pilot a wage and career ladder for educators working in infant and toddler classrooms with children whose families are enrolled in child care assistance.
While that pilot is in place, it is 'not sufficient to roll out a full wage scale and career lattice across all early childhood program areas,' Sclafani said.
Sclafani and Camille Ward, spokesperson for House Democrats, each noted the state has implemented compensation programs and other financial incentives aimed at workers who make less than $18 per hour.
That includes a supplemental wage program, which can net workers as much as $2,548 over a six-month period if they have a bachelor's or master's degree in early childhood education and work 32 hours or more per week.
'State lawmakers are committed to making sure our transformational investments in early childhood education are directly serving New Mexico's kids, families, and the educators who care for them across our state,' Ward said in a statement.
Advocates say they're sitting down with the early childhood department in hopes the agency can push the pay raises through administratively using money from its significant budget increase during the coming fiscal year.
Between fiscal year 2025, which ends June 30, and fiscal year 2026, the early childhood department's budget grew from $784 million to $995 million, Sclafani wrote in an email.
The budget increase could help the state enact wage increases for workers, Ward said.
'With this substantial funding increase, we fully expect the department to prioritize improving access to quality early childhood education and care for New Mexico's children and increasing wages for educators,' she said.
