From the award-winning filmmakers of MAKE A CIRCLE, NORTH STAR RISING (working title) is a new documentary capturing New Mexico’s historic win for universal child care, and the lessons it holds for the rest of the country.
Child care has long been a national crisis, but in New Mexico, the seemingly impossible is becoming reality: a statewide universal free child care program.This short documentary goes behind the scenes with early educators and parent organizers who knocked on more than 500,000 doors, alongside the policymakers who secured the funding and helped forge a roadmap for this historic win.
What follows is not just a victory lap, but the start of a new marathon. As federal funds shrink, legislators and advocates wrestle over budgets in public hearings and closed-door negotiations at the state capitol, determining how this promise can be fully realized. Meanwhile, early educators open their doors to more young families seeking a village of support. At this high-stakes inflection point — while the nation watches — New Mexico offers a powerful lesson: even in an era of political division, transformative public policy is possible through sustained organizing, unlikely collaboration, and deep engagement in democracy.
