Priorities for Child Care Action

Action Step Leadership Team: The organizations or individuals listed under the priority have agreed to be part of a team to lead the strategy together.

In blue    Action Step Leader/Co-Leaders: The member(s) of the Action Step Leadership Team who stepped up to convene the meetings and be responsible for reporting updates at the Zoom Calls with the Child Care Community.

Note: when the legislative process gets underway in early 2025, the priorities below, listed in no particular order, will be replaced by bill or rule numbers.

Priorities for Child Care Action

Establish a fund and find a dedicated new revenue source to raise compensation for the child care workforce.

Early Learning NH, NH Child Care Advisory Council (NH CCAC), Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), Staffing Crisis Taskforce

For more information, contact:

Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org

Put $15 million in each year of the biennium budget for child care workforce recruitment and retention grants starting with the next state child care budget, SFY26-27.

Early Learning NH, NH CCAC

For more information, contact:

Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org

or

Marianne Barter, mariannebarter@gmail.com

Protect public education funding and work on funding public Pre-K.

MomsRising, NH CCAC, White Birch Center, SCAN

For more information, contact:

MacKenzie Nicholson, mackenzie@momsrising.org

Explore avenues to fund the true cost of care.

MomsRising, Early Care and Education Association (ECEA), Coös County Directors Network (Coös), NH CCAC

For more information, contact:

MacKenzie Nicholson, mackenzie@momsrising.org

Address Family Child Care Barriers, e.g. adjust the FCC mixed-age ratios, collect needed data.

A Place to Grow, Coös, NH CCAC, ECEA, Early Childhood Resource Network (ECRN)

For more information, contact:

Jen Jegere, jlegere@aplace2grow.com

 

Ensure NH Easy is streamlined and user friendly, support new policies, and work to continue to improve child care scholarship system.

MomsRising, ECEA, ECRN, Coös, SCAN

For more information, contact:

MacKenzie Nicholson, mackenzie@momsrising.org

Categorical eligibility/expanded child care scholarship for the child care workforce.

Coös with New Futures, YMCA network, ECEA, White Birch Center, MomsRising

For more information, contact:

Airole Warden, airolesage@gmail.com

Explore solutions to liability and commercial insurance for child care programs, identify barriers to securing adequate business insurances.

Early Learning NH, Coös, NH CCAC, NHAEYC, Waypoint

For more information, contact:

Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org

Explore solutions to securing health care coverage for the NH child care workforce.

Early Learning NH, The Growing Years

For more information, contact:

Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org

Follow Market Rate Survey data, rates, and participants.

NH CCAC, Early Learning NH, MomsRising

For more information, contact:

Shannon Tremblay, shannontremblay98@gmail.com

or

Marianne Barter, mariannebarter@gmail.com

Ensure State Child Care Budget is sufficiently funded, track funding and spend down, promote capacity at DHHS, etc.

Early Learning NH, NH CCAC, MomsRising, Coös, YMCA network, SCAN

For more information, contact:

Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org

©Early Learning NH