In a new report released Tuesday, the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute dissected the latest data from Child Care Aware of America to assess how the state’s childcare offerings and costs have changed over the years. The analysis shows that Granite State families are facing increased economic strain due to rising childcare costs and reduced […]
Gov. Kelly Ayotte announced Friday afternoon that she signed House Bill 1771 into law. The bill repeals the end date of a pilot program that granted waivers to child care programs, allowing them to operate with higher provider-to-child ratios than legally required. The waiver program was used by fewer than 10 of the state’s over […]
On Friday, New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte signed Senate Bill 608 into law, which allows retirees taking care of children to access the state’s childcare assistance program. For eligible families, the NH Child Care Scholarship Program provides funds for childcare through direct payments to daycare and out–of–school time providers for children up to 13 years […]
A bill that takes the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services off the hook for providing funding to a childcare workforce grant became law this week. The state’s budget bill, signed last June, included funding toward early education-related programming. The appropriation of $15 million over two years is for a childcare workforce grant […]
The Granite State has been able to avoid most of the impact of new rollbacks to federal childcare assistance subsidy rules, according to state officials. On May 11, the federal Administration for Children and Families announced a large childcare reform package that, according to Assistant Secretary Alex Adams, will “lower costs, expand access and better […]
Every three years, the federal government redetermines how much money to give New Hampshire for childcare subsidies. In New Hampshire, childcare subsidies are funded primarily by the federal Child Care and Development Fund. How much money the state receives is determined after it submits a required statistical analysis of statewide childcare costs and a plan […]
The New Hampshire House and Senate finished their last traditional voting days Thursday, taking action on hundreds of bills as they seek to wrap up the year. Now comes the messy part. While the hearings, floor debates, and major amendments to the bills are done, most of the legislation that has passed is still not […]
The New Hampshire Senate again shot down an annual effort to change the process by which New Hampshire families can get religious exemptions for vaccine requirements. State law requires children be vaccinated against polio, tetanus, hepatitis B, mumps, pertussis, rubella, rubeola, varicella, diphtheria, and haemophilus influenzae type B before entering school or childcare. However, there […]
As the midnight deadline approaches for all remaining bills to be acted on, the New Hampshire Senate voted “ought to pass” on a bill endorsed by Gov. Kelly Ayotte that would create a tax credit for businesses that create more childcare slots. House Bill 1433 would create the Child Day Care Creation Tax Credit Program, […]
On the last day to vote on bills, the New Hampshire House of Representatives passed a bill aimed at reducing liability insurance costs for care professionals. Senate Bill 614 establishes “multiple-caregiver self-insured risk coverage arrangements” for childcare, day care, foster care, and behavioral health services programs and providers. The bill would create a formal agreement […]