Universal Child Care Needn’t Remain a Fantasy: Erika D. Smith

For years, progressive Democrats have been getting grief for pushing what many consider to be a fiscally irresponsible, pie-in-the-sky promise to provide free child care to millions of American families, regardless of income. Just ask Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York. But starting next month, the desert state of New Mexico is moving ahead with one such program anyway, becoming the first real test case for universal child care in the US.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat who has been promising no-cost child care since 2019, predicts that families in her solidly blue state will save ...