Progress takes time, and New Mexico children can't afford to wait
New Mexico ranked last for child well-being in the 2025 edition of the annual national KIDS COUNT report. (Photo by Gino Gutierrez for Source NM)
New Mexicans are a people of strength, resilience, and deep-rooted pride—shaped by our commitment to community and our dedication to the well-being of families. That's why it's painful to reconcile our values with the news in this week's release of state rankings on child well-being from the Annie E. Casey Foundation's annual KIDS COUNT® Data Book. Once again, New Mexico is ranked 50th. Two things are true: progress takes time—and our children can't afford to wait.
This year's data reflects conditions from 2023—before the full impact of many recent policy changes has had time to take hold. These include expanded child care assistance, increased Pre-K funding, and expanded health care access. These efforts matter, and in time, they will move the needle. But today, too many children are still waiting for the resources they need. We can't expect our ranking to change if we don't develop a comprehensive set of bold, targeted policies to uplift the children in our state.
This legislative session, NM Voices for Children and our partners fought hard for such policies. We championed Paid Family and Medical Leave, a strong family-first safety net, but it died in the Legislature. We advocated for a fairer tax system so that families struggling to meet basic needs would be supported, but it was vetoed. We stood with Native leaders to support Indigenous-led education, and preserve Native sovereignty, languages, and cultures within the education system, but it was left unsigned.
This must change.
Despite these setbacks, we have made real and measurable progress. New Mexico is a national leader in free child care for most families and free school meals for all students. We also made historic investments in early childhood education, a state Child Tax Credit to help working families meet basic needs, and expanded health care access for more New Mexican families. Many of these gains have been hard won over the past seven years, thanks to the leadership of our current governor and legislators. We must also recognize that meaningful progress spanned across multiple administrations, such as the 2013 Medicaid expansion, which expanded vital health care to thousands more New Mexicans. Let's remember the lessons of past transitions. For instance, previous administrations have made decisions that disrupted critical services, such as behavioral health care. As we approach an election year and a new governor sets their agenda, we must remain focused, loud, and strong in advocating to put children first.
Too many children and families face unaffordable housing and limited access to employment opportunities with benefits and a living wage. Looming federal proposals threaten to make the situation worse. Deep cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and education programs would hurt millions of New Mexicans. Here, three in four children rely on Medicaid, and more than one-third of SNAP recipients are children. For immigrant families, the fear of deportation continues to block access to vital services.
But there is reason for hope. New Mexico has the tools, the vision, and the collective will to lead. Just as we have made progress on early childhood education, tax fairness, and expanding Medicaid, we must do the same in housing, K–12 education, economic mobility, and protection of mixed-status families to ensure that all children can thrive.
We need our state's leaders to make housing affordable, raise the minimum wage, pass paid family and medical leave, and advance culturally relevant education. Once these laws are passed and the budget is signed, we need swift and effective implementation, so our kids don't have to wait.
New Mexico's future depends on how we care for our children and families today. This means building a state where every child has a real shot at a bright, healthy, and secure future—regardless of their zip code, race, or immigration status. We must not lose sight of the fact that our work is about the lives of children.
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