New Hampshire Parents Use Child Care but Seek More Options. National Issue Brief #169

Carsey School of Public Policy. Huddleston Hall, 73 Main Street, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH 03824. Tel: 603-862-2821; Fax: 603-862-3878. e-mail: carsey.school@unh.edu; Web site: http://carsey.unh.edu

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8

Administration for Children and Families (DHHS)

90TP0060

Child Care; Parent Attitudes; Barriers; COVID-19; Pandemics; Budgets; Child Development; Preschool Education; Grants; Family Needs; Needs Assessment; Elementary School Students; Preschool Children; Child Care Centers; Costs; Working Hours; Employed Parents

New Hampshire families have not been exempt from the disruptions and challenges associated with an enduring pandemic, including disruptions to their children's care and education arrangements, pressure on household budgets due to rising inflation, and challenges of meeting children's emergent social, emotional, and physical needs amid persistent stressors. The 2022 New Hampshire Preschool Development Grant's (PDG) Family Needs Assessment Survey explored how New Hampshire families with children under age nine fare in accessing early childhood care and education, measured their knowledge and use of supportive programs, and identified new and enduring needs. Using survey responses from a non-random sample of parents statewide, this brief focuses on early childhood care and education, a sector for which the pandemic exacerbated long-simmering challenges. Key findings include: (1) three-quarters of respondents with young children had searched for child care in the past year; half reported the search was difficult, most often due to a lack of openings; (2) seventy-four percent of responding parents used at least some nonparental care for their young children, most commonly using a licensed center; and (3) respondents were most likely to indicate that the way to improve their child care arrangement was if it were more affordable.

ERIC

2023

ED629661