After more than a year of debate, New Hampshire childcare providers received a direct answer this week on childcare workforce grant funding.  In a series of letters exchanged between federal officials, state officials, and an advocacy group, it has been determined that federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, dollars cannot be used to […]

Last month, New Hampshire legislators took their final regular session vote, marking the end of the state’s 2026 legislative session. While a handful of childcare-related bills are awaiting a final verdict from the governor, about half of the filed bills failed to make it to the end.  So far, Gov. Kelly Ayotte has signed bills […]

Executive Councilor John Stephen pointedly questioned officials from the Department of Health and Human Services during this week’s meeting about why a childcare workforce grant program was not funded.  That exchange was prompted by an unrelated contract that was up for debate on Wednesday, which would give more than $1.2 million to a company that […]

Amid budget concerns and debates over the validity of guidance from the federal government, the New Hampshire Senate voted Thursday to table a bill that would have state officials seek additional clarification about federal funding for the child care workforce grant.  House Bill 1566 would direct the state Department of Health and Human Services to […]

The New Hampshire House of Representatives and Senate met Thursday to take up a handful of early education bills, including the business child care tax credit and scholarship eligibility for grandparents. Here’s a look at how they voted. In a consent calendar vote — a group of bills considered noncontroversial and acted upon with a […]