SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico is directing the nation’s biggest chunk of federal coronavirus relief money to helping middle-class families pay for child care. The vast expansion is aimed at getting parents back to work in one of the poorest states in America. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced the change Thursday, which immediately expands eligibility for child care assistance to 350% of the federal poverty line. That means families of four making about $93,000 are now eligible for subsidies. That’s up from around $54,000. New Mexico is the latest state along with Georgia, Montana and others to use pandemic relief money to expand child care subsidies.
