New Mexico’s early childhood educators do important work. The New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECECD) wants to make sure they’re paid fairly and have real chances to grow in their careers.

In the 2025-26 program year, through 10 support programs, 3,747 early childhood professionals tapped into scholarships, pay incentives, and professional development resources. These programs are administered on behalf of ECECD by CNM Ingenuity. Scholarships have reached educators in 32 counties through partnerships with 24 colleges and universities. The average award is $918, and more than $2.7M in total has helped professionals afford coursework and pursue advanced degrees.

Pay parity is central to this work. The Head Start, Infant Toddler, and Pre-K parity programs, totaling $7M in 2025-26, are built to make sure educators’ pay matches what public school teachers earn. Right now, 644 educators receive a monthly supplement between $1,200 and $1,550. That adds up to more than $734,000 pumped into New Mexico’s communities every single month.

New Mexico’s early childhood workforce speaks many languages. The Bilingual Incentive supports educators in 14 languages. And through the Early Childhood Networks, 225 members have shared 976 hours of professional development and 6,030 hours of mentoring, helping build a stronger community of educators statewide.

Real investment, real results for New Mexico’s early childhood educators. Learn more about the programs here.

*All programs are subject to available funding. ECECD sets the qualification requirements.*