New Mexico is providing free childcare for all. It’s time for others to do the same | Katrina vanden Heuvel

The state is setting a powerful example with its first-in-the-nation plan. But the policy has support across the US

For four years, New Mexico has been on a distressing losing streak. The state has consistently ranked last in the nation for child wellbeing, as determined by factors including household income, educational outcomes, and child mortality. And over the past decade, whenever New Mexico hasn't placed 50th, it's been 49th.

But in its ongoing efforts to shake off that unenviable distinction, the state is poised to achieve a significant first. In September, governor Michelle Lujan Grisham - who made affordable childcare a centerpiece of her 2018 campaign - announced that New Mexico will offer free universal childcare. No other state in the US currently provides this essential service.

Katrina vanden Heuvel is editor and publisher of the Nation, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a contributor to the Washington Post, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times