Lunch and Learns
Join the Alliance for our Wisdom Wednesday lunch and learns to hear from leaders in the early care and education field. Learn about early childhood work happening throughout the state, meet the leaders, learn about implementation plans, when there will be opportunities to engage and collaborate, and to ask questions.
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March 6, 2026
Brief Summary of the Vibrant Chat Conversation Scholarship Navigation There is value not just in the existence of state scholarships, but in actively helping families become aware of them and navigate what is a complex application process. Workforce & Financial Sustainability There is deep interconnectivity between workforce conditions, family experience, and the operational sustainability of childcare programs. Wage increases often get passed directly to families through tuition hikes, creating a tension between a "living wage" and a "livable wage." Fundraising Burden Staff and families at childcare organizations are required to fundraise essentially to sustain their own positions — an unsustainable and fragile dynamic. Limitations of Grants & Philanthropy Private philanthropy and grants tend to fund new initiatives rather than general operating costs, making them one-time plugs rather than reliable, sustainable revenue sources. This makes financial forecasting extremely difficult. Fragility of the Safety Net The detailed tradeoffs, complex calculations, and patchwork funding strategies that providers must constantly manage highlight how fragile the childcare safety net truly is. Alternative Funding Ideas Corporate tax dollars and a reframing of state investment — where states pay to maintain the community asset that childcare programs represent — were floated as potential funding directions. Professional Development NH's "Work Invest NH" program through the Dept. of Labor was mentioned as a resource for staff professional development. Normalization Normalizing sustainable funding and support across family-serving sectors was noted as a potentially significant systemic shift. |
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January 7, 2026
Coös Coalition for Young Children and Families Behavioral Health Strategy
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To view previous Lunch and Learns sessions, click here
