ECECD Briefing: Have your say on proposed child care rule changes — hearing July 9
Plus 441 infant-toddler slots now live, a Santa Fe coalition spotlight, and a Sacred Roots save-the-date.
͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
The full briefing is available in multiple languages on the ECECD website. View all languages → El boletín completo está disponible en varios idiomas en el sitio web del ECECD. Ver todos los idiomas →
Issue No. 03 · Monday, June 22, 2026 ● 3-min read ● 1 FeaturE ● 4 Headlines
What's launching, what's funded, and what's coming up across New Mexico early childhood — the short version.
Lea esta edición en español →
Read the full briefing Every story below lives in detail on the ECECD website
→
Featured Story
Weigh in: ECECD proposes child care rule changes — public hearing July 9, 2026
ECECD is proposing amendments to two rules that shape child care across New Mexico — and we want to hear from you before they're finalized.
What's on the table: 8.9.3 NMAC — Child Care Assistance. Updates the Child Care Assistance Program to reflect current state and federal law, including the Child Care Assistance Program Act. Proposed changes refine eligibility and documentation requirements, qualifying activities, and hours-of-care criteria; add a new copayment section with fiscal-control and waitlist provisions; update provider billing, compensation, and reporting requirements; strengthen anti-supplanting rules and sanctions; and set payment rates through a cost-estimation model.
8.9.4 NMAC — Child Care Licensing. Aligns military-licensed centers with federal law, updates out-of-school-time program requirements to match other school-age funding streams, and updates ratios and group sizes for certain accredited centers.
Why it matters: These rules govern who qualifies for child care assistance, what families may pay, and the standards providers operate under. The public comment period is your window to shape them.
The public rule hearing — Wednesday, July 9, 2026, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. In person: Apodaca Hall, PERA Building, 1120 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe ,
Online: Join via Zoom →
By phone: 1-719-359-4580 · Meeting ID 880 8515 4919
Oral comments are limited to two minutes per person.
Three ways to comment in writing (accepted through the close of the hearing on July 9): Email ECECD-ECS-PublicComment@ECECD.NM. g ov — subject line "8.9.3 NMAC and 8.9.4 NMAC Public Comment"
Mail to P.O. Drawer 5619, Santa Fe, NM 87502-5619
Deliver in person July 9, 2026, 9 a.m.–1 p.m. at 1120 Paseo de Peralta, Santa Fe, NM 87505
The full proposed rule is posted here on the ECECD website under Regulation Changes .
Click here to read the full hearing notice →
Need an accommodation or language interpretation? Contact ECECD at ECECD-ECS-PublicComment@ECECD.NM.Gov or 505-670-8993 at least ten calendar days before the hearing (by June 29 , 2026 ). Questions: Maria Spray, maria.spray@ececd.nm.gov
This Issue's Headlines…