A comprehensive, high-quality early care and education (ECE) system—affordable, accessible, and adequately compensates and supports educators—is essential for a just society and a robust economy. Yet chronic underfunding creates a system reliant on low educator wages, which undermines quality, limits family access, and stifles the economy. This session examines how funding decisions and workforce-focused policies can create a path toward an equitable, high-quality ECE system. Drawing on lessons from New Mexico’s groundbreaking implementation of universal childcare, the session offers actionable, systems-level insights for building sustainable ECE financing models that strengthen the workforce, expand access, and support economic stability.