Lawmakers in Concord were busy Thursday. Following Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s State of the State address, the New Hampshire State Senate voted on a slew of bills during its session, including Senate Bill 460. SB 460 would prohibit tier II and tier III sex offenders who are registered because of crimes against children under the age […]
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Gov. Kelly Ayotte had a list to rattle off. Facing state lawmakers for her first “State of the State” address Thursday, one year after taking office, the Republican governor trotted out a litany of checked-off policy goals. Last year, she signed a package of pro-housing zoning bills; rolled back a bail reform law she had […]
Over the past week, the House Finance Committee heard two opposing arguments regarding funding for child care workforce recruitment and retention efforts. New Hampshire’s biennial budget trailer bill, House Bill 2, allocates $7.5 million a year to aid efforts to strengthen the child care workforce. Early education in the Granite State is facing several challenges, […]
A child care provider is a jack of all trades. It is their job to fill the various roles a child needs to succeed. As director of the Early Learning Center in Portsmouth, Tammy Roberge is a businesswoman, an educator, and a shoulder for families to lean on. “You’re the teacher, the caregiver, the hug […]
The New Hampshire Senate voted to pass a bill Thursday that would allow retired grandparents to receive funds from the Child Care Scholarship Program without having to re-enter the workforce. The scholarship helps eligible families subsidize the cost of child care by paying a portion of their tuition directly to a child’s provider. Currently, to […]
The New Hampshire Senate Finance Committee put a “critical” child care workforce funding bill on hold due to lawmakers’ confusion over why federal funding could not be used instead of state funds. The committee met Tuesday for a handful of hearings, including one for Senate Bill 483, which would appropriate $15 million in state general […]
New Hampshire child care providers are being urged not to panic by state officials and lawmakers as news spreads that the Trump administration froze federal child care subsidies in five Democratic states earlier this week. At an Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, Councilor Joseph Kenney of Wakefield questioned Lori Weaver, commissioner for the New Hampshire […]
The second half of New Hampshire’s biennial legislative session starts on Jan. 7. As the state aims to fulfill its goal of increasing child care capacity and combating workforce shortage struggles, here’s a look at some of the filed bills relating to early care and education. House Bill 1566, Senate Bill 483: An act making […]
Jen Legere, owner and director of A Place to Grow, hangs staff credentials on the walls of her child care centers. Being known for having a quality early childhood program, she said, shows families her program is worth sending their children to. “It is super important to us from a marketing perspective,” she said. “When […]
As 2025 comes to an end, two new programs are being introduced to help child care providers make the most out of New Hampshire’s Child Care Scholarship Program: presumptive eligibility and prospective payments. The scholarship program helps eligible New Hampshire families pay for child care by providing direct payments for care to qualified early childhood […]