County targets day care needs

Adrian Hedden
Carlsbad Current-Argus
achedden@currentargus.com
About $2 million in county money could go toward a day care facility operated by Carlsbad Municipal Schools, as the county looks to address a perceived shortage in child care throughout the region.
The proposed partnership between the county and school district would mean the district would buy the day care for a yet-undetermined cost in partnership with local nonprofit God’s Light in the Darkness Foundation. The county would then provide the funds to pay for maintaining and operating the facility, for which the district would hire a contractor.
The day care will have a capacity of 238 children as young as infants, with 50-75 “reserved spots” set aside for Eddy County employees.
During Tuesday’s Eddy County Commission meeting, officials contended the need for day care was increasing in the county along with its population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 6.7% of Eddy County’s 61,000 residents were under the age of five. But that number could be higher as it was believed the population of Eddy County was “underreported” due to a rapid influx of workers in the oil and gas industry, according to a memo distributed to commissioners ahead of the discussion.
“One in four” job offers in Eddy County is turned down due to a lack of child care options,” said Kristen Gamboa, executive director of the Carlsbad Department of Development, in a statement included in the memo. She added that 66% of children under age six live in a household where both parents work.
Gamboa pointed to the growing oil and gas industry in the region leading to an increase in population and the number of young families in Eddy County. Eddy and Lea counties share New Mexico’s portion of the nation’s busiest oilfield, the Permian Basin, which stretches through West Texas to the Midland-Odessa area.
“Eddy County is at a critical juncture,” read Gamboa’s statement. “As one of New Mexico’s fastest-growing regions, we are seeing a significant increase in young families and working parents. Yet, our child care infrastructure is not keeping up with demand.”
Eddy County Manager Mike Gallagher said the district was already authorized by its board of education to enter into the agreement, and that the funds would pay for about three or four years of operation. He said the proposal would be submitted to the commission for a vote at a later meeting.
“This is a really exciting opportunity. There is a need for more day care providers in Eddy County, especially in Carlsbad,” Gallagher said. “We know we’re a very fast-growing city and a fast-growing county.”
Gallagher said families can wait three months to a year for placement in day care centers, which could impede their ability to live and work in Eddy County.
“One of the items we need in the community for business recruitment is day care services,” he said.
District 3 Commissioner Philip Troost voiced support for the project, citing the need in the community.
“I think it’s a great deal for Carlsbad and southern Eddy County,” Troost said. “People need a clean, safe place to have their kids.”
It’s also an example of the local community solving a local need, said District 1 Commissioner Ernie Carlson.
“It’s a community problem, it’s community participation. We need to participate in our community as a whole,” he said. “There’s a lot of mothers, a lot of single mothers and fathers that need something like this.”
Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.