ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Like many families, Jessica and Adrian Garcia, who live in the mountain resort town of Ruidoso, had to cobble together different child care options for their son when they returned to work after his birth in 2023. Jessica, who works at the local branch of Eastern New Mexico University, and Adrian, a police officer, paid $300 a month for their son to attend daycare two days a week because they couldn’t afford full-time hours. Jessica’s mother also occasionally pitched in to care for the baby. At the time, Adrian had to bargain constantly with his boss to juggle graveyard shifts and child care, and if his schedule changed, his wife and mother-in-law both had to rearrange their own work on short notice to accommodate his.
