The Couch Family Foundation is committed to making significant investments in New Hampshire-focused early care and education (ECE) research to help shape and build the pivotal knowledge base needed to improve policy and practice in the Granite State.
Here’s important research that we have supported.
“Research has shown that raising the family income eligibility threshold for receiving financial assistance through child care subsidy programs can serve as a crucial mechanism for mitigating family financial constraints, expanding access to high-quality care settings, increasing maternal labor force participation, and decreasing the rate of children living in poverty.”
The New Hampshire Child Care Scholarship Program (NHCCSP) is the State’s primary method for supporting access to early care and education services for families with low and moderate incomes. New Hampshire has expanded access to NHCCSP in recent years, but state investment has not kept pace with enrollment growth, increasing reliance on federal funding to sustain the program. New Hampshire has opportunities to strengthen NHCCSP in ways that keep pace with innovations in other states and better reflect the cost of delivery high-quality care.
“... Operating a program with a separate classroom for infants, toddlers, three-year-olds, and four-year-olds would cost between $1.1 million per year (if paying educators at current levels and offering no benefits) and $1.8 million (if paying educators a living wage with benefits). These costs would result in infant tuition between $21,000 and $33,000 per year, yet center-based tuition for infants averaged $16,000 in 2024.”
Despite the high price of child care for families and an undercompensated workforce, child care programs face slim profit margins and financial instability. Challenges like high operating costs and low compensation are common risks for program closures nationwide and likely play a role in the 11 percent net loss in New Hampshire licensed child care programs between 2017 and 2025.
“Almost two-thirds of children actively using a New Hampshire child care scholarship are under age five.”
Changes to New Hampshire’s Child Care Scholarship Program implemented in January 2024 have more than doubled programmatic reach in just two years.
Median household income in New Hampshire did not cover basic costs for a four-person family in 2024, falling nearly $2,000 short. Compared to a 2015 four-person family, a 2024 family had over $17,000 less in surplus income annually
Over the past two decades, the cost of living in New Hampshire has outpaced what most families earn, reshaping the state’s economy and daily life. The typical household now earns nearly $100,000 a year, yet a family of four with this income still falls about $2,000 short of covering basic needs annually.
“Between 2022 and 2024, tuition for an infant and four-year-old in center-based care in New Hampshire averaged nearly $30,000 annually.”
New Hampshire’s ongoing early care and education (ECE) shortage is characterized by high tuition costs to families, low wages for ECE professionals, limited (if any) profits for providers, and adverse financial impacts for Granite State families, businesses, and economy.
“In fall 2024, 4,348 children were enrolled in the Child Care Scholarship Program, about 7 to 8 percent of those who are eligible, although this number has been steadily rising.”
The Carsey School of Public Policy’s Granite Guide to Early Childhood series highlights issues surrounding early care and education in New Hampshire by synthesizing evidence on a set of interconnected topics. This primer focuses on New Hampshire's Child Care Scholarship Program.
“Between July 2017 and October 2024, licensed capacity among child care providers serving children under five dropped by nearly 13 percent in the Granite State.”
A new study from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute found that in 2023, New Hampshire businesses were losing an estimated $36 to $56 million annually due to the lack of available licensed child care slots.
“Child care expenses are the equivalent of 28 percent of median income among New Hampshire families with one or more children under age 5.”
The Carsey School of Public Policy’s Granite Guide to Early Childhood series highlights issues surrounding early care and education in New Hampshire by synthesizing evidence on a set of interconnected topics. This primer focuses on the cost of child care for New Hampshire families.
“Despite their high educational attainment, New Hampshire’s child care workers have low earnings. Census Bureau data used here show the median annual salary among early educators working full-time is $29,185, compared to $58,923 for Granite Staters in other occupations.”
The Carsey School of Public Policy’s Granite Guide to Early Childhood series highlights issues surrounding early care and education in New Hampshire by synthesizing evidence on a set of interconnected topics. This primer focuses on New Hampshire’s child care workforce.
“Between 2017 and 2024, New Hampshire’s licensed child care capacity increased by 5.6 percent, while its count of licensed providers shrunk by 13 percent.”
The Carsey School of Public Policy’s Granite Guide to Early Childhood series highlights issues surrounding early care and education in New Hampshire by synthesizing evidence on a set of interconnected topics. This primer focuses on New Hampshire’s “supply” of child care.
