From Valley News 11/23/2025
It has been months since New Hampshire passed its state budget, and the status of $15 million appropriated for child care employers remains a point of confusion, including for lawmakers.
During the two-year budget process earlier this year, Gov. Kelly Ayotte proposed a series of spending reductions due to declining tax revenues. Among the cuts was $15 million that in the previous biennial budget had been appropriated to the Department of Health and Human Services for “the purpose of financing recruitment and retention bonus benefits and grants for New Hampshire child care employers.”
The loss of funding could have a detrimental impact on the child care industry, which is already struggling with low wages and a workforce shortage across the state. Child care employers used this money to help recruit new staff; for employee bonuses, professional development, and staff training; and to ensure employment eligibility, since in New Hampshire you must have specific certifications to be left alone with children under age 5.
Read more: https://vnews.com/2025/11/23/new-hampshire-child-care-funding-limbo/