$4.7 million award to expand child care access for UNM families and student parents

The University of New Mexico Children's Campus (UNMCC) has been awarded $4.71 million from the New Mexico Higher Education Department (HED) to expand access to high-quality early childhood education for UNM and community families.

The award, part of a statewide initiative supporting childcare expansion at five colleges and universities, reflects New Mexico's national leadership in early childhood education and will fund the first phase of a long-envisioned expansion that will increase the Children's Campus' licensed capacity by 52 children. For dozens of UNM families, the expansion will mean greater access to high-quality early childhood education and the opportunity for parents to continue pursuing degrees, careers, and research while their children learn in a nurturing environment.

As a university-based early childhood program, the Children's Campus plays a unique role in supporting UNM's educational mission. By serving student parents, faculty, staff, and community families, the center helps remove barriers to higher education, supports workforce participation, and provides young children with a strong educational foundation during their most critical years of development. The Children's Campus also serves as a model early childhood laboratory where university students, researchers, and early childhood professionals engage in teaching, learning, and research alongside children and families.

The award comes after more than 18 years of planning and advocacy to expand the Children's Campus. The program is nationally accredited and recognized as one of New Mexico's premier early childhood education programs, known for its commitment to high-quality, research-informed teaching and learning. The center serves several hundred children each year and currently has a waitlist of more than 2,400 children, underscoring the significant demand for high-quality childcare among university and community families.

"This funding from the New Mexico Higher Education Department is transformative for the University of New Mexico Children's Campus and the families we serve," said Daniela Baca, director of the UNM Children's Campus. "For nearly two decades, we have envisioned expanding our capacity to meet the growing demand for high-quality early childhood education, and this award allows us to finally take that important first step. Childcare is educational infrastructure, and as UNM continues to grow, including the University's planned expansion of the School of Medicine, investments in childcare become even more essential to supporting students, faculty, staff, and New Mexico's future workforce."

The grant supports the first phase of the Children's Campus' long-term expansion plan, which is estimated at $39.5 million. The project will add four new classrooms, including one infant classroom, one young toddler classroom, one older toddler classroom, and one early pre-K classroom, and increase licensed capacity from 271 to 323 children, creating space for an additional 52 children. The award enables the Children's Campus to move from nearly two decades of planning to implementation. While the HED award funds construction of the new classrooms, additional philanthropic support will help create outdoor learning environments that are integral to the Children's Campus' nationally recognized, play-based approach to early childhood education.

The funding is especially important as demand for childcare continues to outpace available space. While the Children's Campus serves infants through prekindergarten children from across the university and broader community, demand is expected to grow as UNM expands. The University's planned School of Medicine expansion will increase enrollment of future physicians while bringing additional medical residents, faculty, researchers, and staff to campus, many of whom will need access to dependable, high-quality childcare. The expansion positions the Children's Campus to meet the evolving needs of a growing university community, both today and in the years ahead.

The project also advances UNM 2040 and the University's vision of One University by strengthening the educational infrastructure that supports teaching, learning, research, and family success. The Children's Campus serves as a unique hub where education, research, workforce development, and family support intersect. Every day, student parents, faculty, staff, researchers, future educators, health professionals, and community families come together in a shared environment that reflects the University's commitment to collaboration, belonging, and student success.

The expansion complements UNM's broader efforts to become a more family-friendly campus. Through initiatives such as FamilyU, UNM's parenting student success initiative, and the University's Parenting Student Dashboard, UNM is working to better identify and support parenting students, recognizing that access to dependable childcare is one of the most significant factors influencing student persistence and completion. "For parenting students, access to dependable, high-quality childcare can mean the difference between persisting toward a degree or delaying their educational goals," Baca said.

The expansion represents an important milestone in the Children's Campus' long-term vision to increase access to high-quality early childhood education while advancing student success, strengthening workforce participation, and supporting the University's continued growth.

Planning and design activities are already underway, with construction anticipated to begin by December 2026 and the new classrooms expected to open by December 2027. Throughout the project, preserving continuity of care and maintaining a stable learning environment for children and families will remain a guiding principle as the Children's Campus continues normal operations during construction.

"This expansion is about more than adding classrooms. It is about creating opportunities for children to grow, for parents to achieve their educational and career goals, and for the University of New Mexico to continue building a university where children, families, and future generations can thrive from the very beginning," Baca said.