Priorities for Child Care Action

CLICK HERE for THE RESULTS of our recent survey of the top priorities of New Hampshire's child care professionals.  Their top priorities for action are: staff retention and recruitment; families' affordability and access; behavioral supports to help teachers manage their classrooms; and supports for operating and program costs.

2026 Child Care Legislation and Priorities for Action are Listed Below

Legislation is marked as either SUPPORT, MONITOR or OPPOSE.  Early Learning NH Priority Bills are listed first, and all other child care legislation is listed in alphabetical order.

Team Leader/Co-Leaders: When applicable, members of a leadership team for a bill or a priority are listed.  The member marked in blue has stepped up to convene the meetings and be responsible for reporting updates at the Zoom Calls with the Child Care Community and other relevant meetings.

_________________________________________________________

 

Priorities for Child Care Action

2026 Child Care Legislation

ENSURE THE $15M IN CHILD CARE WORKFORCE GRANTS ARE DISTRIBUTED THIS BIENNIUM

HB 1566 - back up plan to fund the $15 million in child care workforce retention and recruitment grants with state general funds, as was done in 2023, should the federal funds appropriated in 2025 not be able to be used.

SUPPORT - PRIORITY BILL

Early Learning NH, Granite YMCA, Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), Melissa Caldwell, The Growing Years, Waypoint, Early Care and Education Association, NH Afterschool Network (NHAN)

For more information, contact:

Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org

SB 483 - (identical bill in the Senate to HB 1566, mentioned above)

SUPPORT - PRIORITY BILL

Early Learning NH, Granite YMCA, Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), Melissa Caldwell, The Growing Years, Waypoint, Early Care and Education Association, NH Afterschool Network (NHAN)

For more information, contact:

Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org

HB 1515 - REPEALS! the $15 million in child care workforce retention and recruitment grants appropriated in 2025.

OPPOSE - PRIORITY BILL

Early Learning NH, Granite YMCA, Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), Melissa Caldwell, The Growing Years, Waypoint, Early Care and Education Association, NH Afterschool Network (NHAN)

For more information, contact:

Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org

HB 1239 - prohibits certain registered offenders who are required to register due to a sexual offense against a child under 13 years of age from appearing within 1,000 feet of any childcare facility and other certain locations under circumstances that would warrant alarm.

(SB 460 companion bill, see below)

SUPPORT - PRIORITY BILL

Early Learning NH, Ready Set Grow, MomsRising, Wildwood Daycare, Saplings School

For more information, contact:

Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org

SB 460 - prohibits certain registered offenders who are required to register due to a sexual offense against a child under 13 years of age from appearing within 1,000 feet of any childcare facility and other certain locations under circumstances that would warrant alarm.

(HB 1239 companion bill, see above)

SUPPORT - PRIORITY BILL

Early Learning NH, Ready Set Grow, MomsRising, Wildwood Daycare, Saplings School

For more information, contact:

Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org

HB 1195 - relative to municipal zoning requirements for child day care providers.

SUPPORT

HB 1433 - creating a child care tax credit for qualifying businesses.

MONITOR

HB 1720 - relative to notice to child day care providers of child care scholarships.

SUPPORT

Early Learning NH

For more information, contact:

Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org

HB 1771 - removing prospective repeal of child care staffing ratios and the associated waiver system and requiring the department of health and human services to provide certain notice regarding availability of the waiver.

MONITOR

SB 608 - relative to family caregiver support in certain programs and child care support for kinship caregivers.

SUPPORT

New Futures and SCAN 

For more information, contact:

Trina Ingelfinger, tingelfinger@new-futures.org 

SB 614 - establishing pooled risk management programs for the benefit of child care centers and foster family homes.

MONITOR

SB 645 - relative to income eligibility for the New Hampshire child care scholarship program and reallocating certain revenue to fund the program.

SUPPORT

MomsRising

For more information, contact:

MacKenzie Nicholson, mackenzie@momsrising.org 

SB 654 - creating tax credits for businesses that have on-site child care services and for businesses that provide health care coverage for certain employees.

MONITOR

Priorities for Child Care Action

Latest Survey of New Hampshire's Child Care Professionals

CLICK HERE for THE RESULTS of Early Learning NH's recent survey of the top priorities of New Hampshire's child care professionals.  Their top priorities for action are: staff retention and recruitment; families' affordability and access; behavioral supports to help teachers manage their classrooms; and supports for operating and program costs.

Establish a fund and find a dedicated revenue source to raise compensation for the child care workforce. Enact a Governor's Commission on the Workforce Behind the Workforce.

Early Learning NH, NH Child Care Advisory Council (NH CCAC), Granite YMCA, Save the Children Action Network (SCAN), Melissa Caldwell, The Growing Years, Early Care and Education Association, NH Afterschool Network (NHAN)

For more information, contact Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org or Marianne Barter, mariannebarter@gmail.com

Identify new and/or reinstate funding streams to support child care

NH CCAC, MomsRising, SCAN, Early Learning NH

For more information, contact Shannon Tremblay, shannontremblay98@gmail.com

Continue the work of SB243 – look at administrative process around scholarship and remediate barriers

Partnership for Progress Scholarship Work Group, Waypoint, Leanna Lorden

For more information, contact Liz Belsito, belsitoe@waypointnh.org 

Explore solutions to liability and commercial insurance for child care programs

Early Learning NH, Kitty LaRochelle, Waypoint

For more information, contact Jackie Cowell, jcowell@earlylearningnh.org

Staff Wellness and Mental Health Supports

Kitty LaRochelle, Leanna Lorden, NHAN

For more information, contact Kitty LaRochelle, kittylaro@gmailcom

Regulatory changes: protect child care licensing regulations and look at improving zoning regulations

NH CCAC/Lynn Ouellette, Jen Legere, Early Learning NH, The Business and Industry Association of NH (BIA): zoning

For more information, contact Lynn Ouellette, louellette@nelliestreehouse.com

Improve and increase provider input into QRIS

NH CCAC, Jen Legere, Kitty LaRochelle, Leanna Lorden, Tiffany Foster

For more information, contact Shannon Tremblay, shannontremblay 98@gmail.com

Monitor CCDF spend down, including how Education Freedom Accounts are funded

NH CCAC, Early Learning NH, NHAN

For more information, contact Marianne Barter, mariannebarter@gmail.com

Credentialing, CDA pathway and Apprenticeships

Jen Legere, NH CCAC/Lynn Ouellette, Kitty Larochelle, NHAN

For more information, contact Jen Legere, jlegere@aplace2grow.com

Child care for children with disabilities

MomsRising, SCAN, Leanna Lorden, NH CCAC

For more information, contact MacKenzie Nicholson, mackenzie@momsrising.org

Ensure DHHS publishes data and reports

NH CCAC

For more information, contact Marianne Barter, mariannebarter@gmail.com

Improve process for state contracts and procurement process

NH CCAC/Shannon Tremblay, Early Learning NH

For more information, contact Shannon Tremblay, shannontremblay98@gmail.com

Lead remediation for water and facilities/buildings

Leanna Lorden, NH CCAC/Lynn Ouellette, Jen Legere

For more information, contact Leanna Lorden, leannal@whitebirchcc.org

©Early Learning NH