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Lawmakers Hear Update on Child Care Subsidies, Providers and a Removed Workforce Grant
Summary
Department of Health and Human Services staff told the House Finance Committee the state's Child Care Scholarship use rose 45% in the last year and 4,032 children were served in January; advocates urged restoring a $15 million childcare workforce appropriation that the governor's budget omits.
Karen Hebert, director of the Division of Economic Stability at the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, told the House Finance Committee on March 3 that the bureau overseeing child care saw a notable rise in program use.
"45% increase in utilization of what's known as the Child Care Scholarship," Hebert said, describing data showing recent growth in the Child Care Assistance/Scholarship program.
The committee heard that, as of January, the department was paying for child care for 4,032 children through the scholarship program. Nathan White, chief financial officer for DHHS, pointed lawmakers to the governor's recommended budget line for the division and answered questions about how the division's general‑fund totals are presented.
Why it matters: Committee members pressed for clearer cost breakdowns because the scholarship program is tied to federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) rules and to a larger state effort to stabilize the child care market. Hebert and staff said federal and state investments during the COVID era (about $171 million in…
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