The new class of Leadership NH was announced and Ellen Taetzsch, Alliance member and Advisory Board Chair is part of the class!  Lara Quiroga, one of the founding members and leaders of the Alliance is among many other champions for children and families in the new class.   Congratulations to all of the leaders in the LNH class of 2026! ​

The Public Hearing for the NH Child Care Rule Revision is scheduled for Wednesday, July 9 at 6:00pm.  The public may attend in person at 129 Pleasant St. DHHS Brown Building Auditorium, Concord or on-line.  The Notice for Public Rule making is available here and contains the details to participate (scroll to the bottom).  Deadline for written comments is July 16.  To see the rule proposal, click here.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation just released the 2025 Kids Count Data Book.  New Futures, home for the NH Kids Count book, shared these highlights with further context:

• New Hampshire ranked 2nd in economic well-being.
• New Hampshire ranked 4th in education
• New Hampshire ranked 1st in health
• New Hampshire ranked 1st in family and community

For more NH data, click here.  The book is centered across four domains representing what children and youth need more.
1. Economic Well-Being
2. Education
3. Health; and 
4. Family and Community

As NHAEYC is growing in the state, it is seeking new Board members.  Click the image below to access the Board application.  Contact Jackie Firmin with any questions.

Posted on behalf of the Institute on Disability 
We will begin accepting applications for Cohort 6 May 15, 2025. This cohort will focus on training individuals to work with pregnant people or families with infants and young children that are impacted by substance use, age birth through 5.  We will accept 18-20 trainees for this cohort. Applications will be accepted until July 31, 2025, or until all spots are filled. Preference will be given to applicants based on meeting the eligibility requirements for the program and the date their application was received.

This cohort will officially begin August 25, 2025 and will follow the Track 2 schedule for trainees, which includes a specific course focusing on Infant Mental Health and the effects substance use and opioid use has on prenatal and early childhood development (0-6 years old). The Infant Mental Health course will be taught by UNH faculty member Ngozi Enelamah from the College of Health and Human Services Department of Social Work. Nicholas Mian from UNH Manchester Life Sciences Department will teach a course on the effects of OUD/SUD on families and child development. We have also partnered with NHTI, Concord’s Community College, to offer the Certified Recovery Support Worker course.

We strongly encourage only individuals who are (or plan to be) working with newborn and/or young children and their families to apply for this cohort.

Eligibility:

• Individuals who work in “paraprofessional” behavioral healthcare positions, including occupations such as mental health worker, peer support counselor, peer support specialist, community health worker, outreach worker, social services aide, mental health worker, day care worker, homeless services worker, substance abuse/addictions worker, youth worker, recovery coach, recovery manager, recovery mentor, recovery support specialist, and recovery coach/guide.
• Paraprofessionals who are interested and motivated to pursue this step in their careers.
• High School diploma or equivalent required. Please do not apply if you have a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree, this will not be considered paraprofessional level.
• Must be 18 years old and a citizen of the United States or a foreign national having in their possession a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States.
• Applicants who have behavioral health related lived experience are encouraged to apply.

Application Opens May 15th
We hope to connect with you through Building Futures Together!
Learn more about the Building Futures Together Program
BFT Videos: https://iod.unh.edu/building-futures-together/resources/video-gallery
 

Last week, the NH Child Care Advisory Council held a webinar sharing their succession planning as some of the long term members are coming to the end of their terms.  Check it out here.
Later that same day, the NH Insurance Department hosted a webinar that focused on Understanding Insurance for Non-Profits and Child Care Facilities.  

Ellen Taetzsch, Senior Manager of Early Childhood Initiatives for Monadnock United Way and a member of the Alliance's Leadership team, was recently honored by the Keene Business Journal for their Trendsetter Award.  Read more about Ellen, her work and passion for early childhood system building.  Congratulations Ellen!
​

Stevie Klein, the Family Engagement Coordinator at Greater Nashua Smart Start Coalition for Early Childhood Success will be representing NH at Strolling Thunder, an annual event from Think Babies.  Stevie will be sharing her story with members of Congress and others.  If you would like to learn more about her journey, click on these links: FACEBOOK or  Instagram.

NH Department of Health and Human Services has partnered with Hope on Haven Hill, a substance use disorder services provider for pregnant and parenting individuals in New Hampshire to develop the NH Mom Hub to support NH moms before and after their babies arrive.  
 
The NH Mom Hub helps women, their families, and providers navigate mental health concerns along the continuum of pregnancy, postpartum, and perinatal loss.  
 
While we are a program built in partnership with Hope on Haven Hill, you do not need to be coping with a substance use issue to reach out to our maternal health navigators!
 
The NH Mom Hub provides information and resources and refers patients to care including 988, 211, The Doorways, Community Mental Health Centers, Family Resource Centers and many local services and supports for growing families.  For more detailed key program points, click here
 
You can reach us at 
Phone: 603-403-3400 (secure voicemail, phone/text)
OR
Complete a request through the NH Mom Hub Online Form.
Messages are monitored during business hours Monday - Friday.
We aim to respond within 24-48 hours.
Website: www.hopeonhavenhill.org/momhub
Our Non-Urgent email is: [email protected]
 
Please note that NH Mom Hub and Hope on Haven Hill do NOT provide emergency services.
 
For urgent or immediate needs you may call or text:
🟢 Suicide Prevention Hotline: 988
    NH Rapid Response Access Point: https://www.nh988.com/ Call or Text: 833-710-6477
 
🟣 Never Use Alone hotline at (800) 484-3731 (National Line) or (800) 972-0590 (New England Line)
 
🔵 The Doorway: Call 211 or https://www.thedoorway.nh.gov/ 
      Help for Substance Use Disorder Treatment

 💜National Maternal Mental Health Hotline: 1-833-TLC-MAMA (Call or Text 24/7)

🟢NH Navigator: https://acanavigator.com/nh/home Help for exploring insurance coverage options
 
🔵 Call or Text the Postpartum Support Int'l Help Line 1-800-944-4773 (4PPD)
       #1 En Español or
       #2 English Text in English: 800-944-4773
       Text en Español: 971-203-7773

The Endowment for Health held a webinar to share the updated Child Well-Being Data Hub and highlight other partners throughout the state who pull together accurate and informative data about the state of children in New Hampshire.   Click to learn more about the NH Child Well-Being Data Hub and check out the other data partners below:

Resources Shared:

New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute:

• The Bottom Line – NHFPI's Weekly Newsletter - New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute
• The Economic Impact of the Granite State's Child Care Shortage - New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute
• Sign Up for NHFPI Email Updates!

New Futures:

• NH Kids Count | Economic Well-Being

New Hampshire Children's Health Foundation:

• Home - Children's Health Dashboard

UNH Carsey School of Public Policy:

• NH ECE Research Consortium | Center for Social Policy in Practice
• Resources | Center for Social Policy in Practice
• Collaborations | Center for Social Policy in Practice

Annie E. Casey Foundation:

• KIDS COUNT Data Center from the Annie E. Casey Foundation
• New Hampshire Child and Family Well-Being

From Alliance member and HATCh Early Childhood Coalition Leader, Patrice Baker, "We had about 75 families (over 200 people) in attendance and children wrote stories, created bookmarks and hats, chose books to take home, met Curious George and "took the pledge" to read 20 minutes a day. Each family received a free family pass to the Children's Museum of NH and a bag with information about supporting literacy in the early years. Parents visited tables with resources about the NH Child Care Scholarship, Community Action, Childcare Aware, Waypoint Early Supports and Services, VROOM, Head Start and the Seacoast Public Health Network. Winnacunnet High School students created research boards with tips and strategies for parents (about play, reading, and resilience) and they facilitated the activity stations. The HATCh Coalition, SAU 90, SAU 21, YMCA, Lane Library, Seabrook Library, Seabrook Reads, and Winnacunnet High School all worked together to make this happen."

Read the full story here.  On April 13, Greater Nashua Smart Start Coalition and the Community Engagement Training Center held a celebration for graduates of their Family Childcare Preparation Program funded by CDFA with additional support from the NH Charitable Foundation.  Information about the resources developed through CDFA's work to support family child care small businesses are available here.  (Correction from the article: Emily Mercado is misidentified as Emily Rodrigo.)