The State of New Mexico wants to ensure that families have all of the relevant information they need to make an informed decision when choosing care for their children, including access to criminal background information. Any in-home child care provider licensed or registered by the state has at minimum undergone a Child Care Health and Safety Orientation, CPR/First Aid training, a background check for every adult living in the home, and an inspection. Please use the following look-up tool to make sure that the in-home care provider you are considering is licensed or registered with the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department. You can also use the state and national databases at the bottom of the page to check the criminal background of any provider you are considering. To learn about the Mandatory COVID Response Training, visit the NMELS.
Mario Archuleta was barely three years old when, on October 11, 2002, his child care
provider purposely scalded his hands with hot water after a toileting accident. Mario
spent two weeks at the UNMH burn trauma unit. Doctors removed skin from his thighs to
graft to his hands during a five-hour operation. He spent a year in rehabilitation. His
child care provider pled guilty to second degree child abuse and neglect and was
sentenced to nine years in the penitentiary.
To help other families avoid the pain and trauma that their family experienced, Mario’s
parents asked that the State of New Mexico establish a database of registered child care
home providers who have obtained background check eligibility, under the relevant
background check regulations. They also asked that parents have access to other state
and national databases to check on their provider’s background. You can access these
databases below.
For more information on selecting child care providers, read the Parent’s Guide to Selecting Quality Child Care.
To search for child care for your child, please click on the Early Childhood Services tab on this page.
To apply for Child Care Assistance to help pay for child care, please visit Am I Eligible.
Note to Families: If the in-home care provider who you are considering for your family does NOT appear in this database, please call 1-800-691-9067 for more information about child care in your area or use the Early Childhood Services Search tab on this page.
Note to Providers: If you are licensed or registered with ECECD and your name is not listed in the database, please call 1-800-691-9067 so we can make an update. If you would like to become a licensed or registered in-home provider, please click here.
Welcome
Use our search feature above to find child care resources in your area.
Use the quick filter or advanced filters to find the right service for you and your family.
Save your search results and export them as a PDF for easy access on and offline.
Child Care in New Mexico is a broad category of care for children ages 0 up to 13, depending on the individual program. Child Care includes services like child care centers, in home child care, Head Start, and PreK programs. Child Care in New Mexico is monitored by the Early Childhood Education and Care Department, which is in charge of licensing and registration of child care providers.
New Mexico provides a coordinated continuum of high-quality, community-driven, culturally and linguistically appropriate home visiting services that promote maternal, infant, and early childhood health, safety, development, and strong parent-child relationships. Home Visiting helps families to: gain knowledge regarding child development, connect with community support services, discover ways to support learning through play and interactions, receive emotional support through challenges associated with raising a child, and access support to get out of dangerous or unhealthy situations.
IDEA / Developmental Programs are used to help families who are concerned about their child's development or for families who have identified developmental delays in their children.
