All families need access to affordable child care so they can make a living and pursue future career opportunities. But in a move that will prevent parents who are working or in school from getting much needed child care, the Children, Youth and Families Department proposed this week to cut eligibility to New Mexico’s Child Care Assistance Program and to continue to require families to pay an unaffordable share of costs. Without access to affordable child care, families will be forced to either go without child care or forego education or employment opportunities.

The regulation will hurt hard working New Mexico families by:

• Cutting eligibility to 160% FPL from 200%. This means less families will have access to child care assistance, even though they are low income.  
• Requiring low-income families to pay an unaffordable share of costs. Federal guidance found that child care costs over 7% are not affordable for working families. CYFD’s proposal requires families to pay more than 10% of their income towards child care and higher, depending on the size of a family.

Please tell CYFD to make child care accessible and affordable for New Mexican families!

Speak out at the public hearing:
Monday, July 8, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.
Apodaca Hall, 1120 Paseo De Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87502.

Submit written public comment no later than July 8, 2019 at 11:00 a.m.

• By email to: CYFD-ECS-PublicComment@state.nm.us with the subject line “8.15.2 NMAC Public Comment” or
• By mail to: Kimberly Brown, Child Care Services Bureau, CYFD, P.O. Drawer 5160, Santa Fe, NM 87502-5160.  

Sample content for public comment on cuts to child care assistance. 

Slashing eligibility for child care assistance harms New Mexico’s families!
Families need reliable and safe child care so that they can make a living and pursue future career opportunities. Without child care assistance, families are often unable to afford appropriate child care and are faced with the difficult choice of either resorting to lower quality care or foregoing education or work opportunities. CYFD raised eligibility to 200% of the federal poverty level in November of 2018 and enrollment has not increased. CYFD should seek supplemental funding from the legislature before cutting the eligibility level.

CYFD’s copayments are unaffordable!
According to CYFD data, just a third of eligible families participate in the program. Federal law requires CYFD to make co-payments affordable for families. Federal guidance recommends that co-payments be no higher than 7% of a family’s income. CYFD has not set a cap on copayments, and parents often pay much more than 10% of their income on child care, including families living in deep poverty. CYFD data from FY2017, shows a 66% drop in participation in the program once families are charged a copay, beginning with incomes as low as 25% to 50% of the FPL. Parents who cannot afford the copayment often have to reduce their work hours or seek alternative and often unreliable care. Families should not have to choose between paying for childcare or other basic necessities like food and clothing. New Mexico’s kids deserve better!