HB1515

We need to continue to fund the child care grant program.

I oppose this bill which would repeal a provision it enacted last session to provide $15 million for “recruitment, retention, and benefit grants to child care employers.”

Child care programs are necessary to allow parents of young children to work, making our economy strong. Child care is too scarce and too expensive. The grants would have helped employers recruit and retain more child care employees. The fact that particular federal funding is not available should not make us give up on this grant program. Does anyone really think we don't need more, and more affordable, child care?! Research shows child care is an unrealistic expense for many Granite Staters. https://carsey.unh.edu/publication/high-child-care-costs-strain-nh-family-budgets https://nhfpi.org/blog/annual-price-of-2023-child-care-for-two-granite-state-children-under-five-averaged-nearly-32000/

I oppose this bill because this bill would repeal a provision in enacted last session to provide $15 million for recruitment, retention, and benefit grants to child care employers. I believe there is a great need for child care providers.

Suggest you seek alternative state funding. We need some investment in child care workforce; given childcare is extremely expensive and there is a shortage in the workforce.

It is clear that the sponsors of this bill DON'T CARE ABOUT CHILDREN. The sponsors of this bill only care about money when this is an investment in the future of these kids and allow parents to work!! What is wrong with you all?

Our working families NEED more qualified and affordable child care programs for their children so both parents can work to earn enough to survive, let alone thrive.

Child care is expensive and hard to find, this bill won’t help in that but hurt an already struggling business.

Anything to lower our property taxes. Please.

I am oppose this bill for the benefit of NH voters. Shame on the sponsors of this bill.

The department of health and human services child care grants are vital and should not be discontinued.

The childcare workforce in the state of NH is nowhere NEAR close to being adequate. Repealing the childcare grant program will be a further detriment to an already severe situation. We should be doing MORE to supporting this dire situation, not removing the already positive steps in the right direction. I oppose this bill.

Hurts industry and our future

Affordable child care is one of the most important economic factors in our state and the nation. Repealing this funding would do a grave disservice to child care centers and the families who rely on them throughout NH. Without the $15m funding centers will close, leaving families without care. Parents will need to quit their jobs. The economy of the state will suffer. The sponsors of this legislation must be completely out of touch with the reality of the majority of our citizenry in NH.

Without this support, the families of NH will be experiencing additional increases in the cost of childcare. Providers need these funds to continue to attract and retain a highly qualified workforce. It was the will of the people to support this last year and we should continue to support this so we can provide stability in care across NH.

Childcare is extremely expensive and absolutely necessary for working parents. The problem with daycare is that it is a full time job, meaning parents have to pay someone a full time wage to do it, which usually means the loss of at least one parents' entire income leaving precious little left to manage a household. Any help that the Department of Health and Human Services can offer to young families is welcome.

I strongly oppose HB 1515 because it would eliminate child care workforce grants at a time when New Hampshire families and employers are already facing a severe child care shortage. These grants help stabilize the child care workforce by improving recruitment, retention, and program quality—all of which are essential to keeping child care programs open and affordable. Canceling this support would worsen staffing shortages, reduce access to care, and make it harder for parents to work and businesses to operate. Maintaining workforce grants is a practical investment in children, families, and the state’s economic stability, and HB 1515 moves New Hampshire in the wrong direction.

The time is way overdue for scholarship organizations managing education freedom accounts to be held accountable to the public taxpayers for how they administer the voucher (EFA) program. The scholarship organization has repeatedly ignored reporting requirements and not been held accountable for it. Refusing to provide up to date reports on where these public funds are going is totally unacceptable. It's time. This bill will make sure they are held accountable. If they don't comply, they are out. Pass this bill!

NH businesses cannot recruit and keep reliable employees if their childcare needs are not being met.

Honorable Chair and Committee Members, This may be one of the more baffling bills you encounter in hearings. At a time when there is a significant workforce shortage in childcare, forcing parents to give up employment, thereby costing the state millions of dollars in lost revenue, this bill recommends ending a program to attract and retain more childcare workers! New Hampshire is aging and desperately needs younger workers in direct care of the elderly and disabled in the community setting, which is much less expensive than in nursing institutions. And, surprise, these younger workers have children who need childcare! New Hampshire needs young families to avoid becoming a place where towns can’t hire enough people to sustain emergency services and the elderly are left without human services. It’s time to stop defunding NH into a downward spiral. Vote ITL on HB 1515. Respecctfully, Rep. Janet Lucas Grafton County District 7 House Health Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee New Hampshire Commission on Aging Co-chair, Systems of Care for Healthy Aging in New Hampshire Advisory Council

Why This Matters to Families • A stable child care workforce means consistent caregivers, stronger relationships, and better outcomes for children • Workforce grants help programs retain qualified educators, reduce turnover, and maintain reliable care • Without these funds, programs may face staffing shortages that impact hours, enrollment, and availability

Childcare affects too many people and a blanket revision without solutions is detrimental the education of children should come first not semantics on other issues

Dear Finance Committee Representatives, Please oppose HB1515 which repeals financing Early Childhood Education. Our pre-schoolers need quality and regulated Early Childhood Education to help them thrive in a world that is becoming increasingly complex and dangerous. We need to support them to have a healthy and robust start in life as possible to deal with the conflict and danger that they are entering into as they try to get quality education in NH because our legislators choose to not fund their public school systems adequately. This early start will get them off on the right foot to better manage the educational challenges ahead. Additionally, their parents may need to work multiple low-paying jobs to secure housing due to the high cost of housing in NH. I have neighbors who have three generations under one roof to be able to afford housing. Also, our big businesses who provide low-paying jobs need to depend on those parents to keep their doors open. Without a workforce, they would be forced to move out of state, and thereby, find other states who have fewer worker protections than NH. This would affect our economy in challenging ways. There are fewer and fewer good paying jobs in NH and we need to keep these big box stores to help pre-schoolers parents to stay employed. Thank you for opposing HB1515. Rebecca MacKenzie, LICSW

There needs to be child care for the economy to move forward.