 The Child Care Advisory Council designed this helpful infographic showing the different steps of applying for the scholarship. Read more about the implementation Senate Bill 404 expanding the care assistance to child care professionals. A frequently updated FAQ is also posted.
Get questions answered and learn more at the following: Bi-Weekly Office Hours: Every other Tuesday from January 14th-May 6th, 12:30-1:30 PM Topic: CCWAP Office Biweekly Hours Zoom Meeting Link Meeting ID: 875 3925 6394 Passcode: 633300 Monthly Evening Zoom Calls: Available on the third Wednesday of each month, 7:30-8:30 PM Topic: CCWAP Evening Office Hours Zoom Meeting Link Meeting ID: 872 2536 7548 Passcode: 241924 Read the great news coverage of Hampton School District's new early childhood coalition, HATCh Hampton Alliance for Thriving Children.  Congratulations to the Somersworth Ready Together Early Childhood Coalition on the launch of their new website! It is full of great local resources and information as well as links to state resources.
January is starting off with great opportunities to learn and engage! New Futures will be hosting a series of policy Lunch and Learns. First up, Early Childhood on Friday, January 3, 1:30-2:00. They are also hosting Advocacy 101 Trainings both in person and on-line. To see their full line up for January, click here.
The NH Children's Health Foundation will also be hosting a series of informational webinars about their soon-to-be-launched webinar to preview the Children's Health Dashboard. This dashboard is intended to focus on key issues by region by utilizing data visualization to explain the issue and then share evidence-based strategies that could impact those issues. They are hosting 3 pre-launch webinars to preview the Children's Health Dashboard. Click below to register for one: Webinar # 1 – Wednesday Jan. 22, 8–9 a.m. Webinar # 2 – Wednesday, Jan. 22, 12-1 p.m. Webinar # 3 – Thursday, Jan. 23, 4-5 p.m. Coos Coalition for Young Children and Families is excited to announce their new Executive Director, Kelly Dussault. Kelly has 20 years experience in education, behavioral health and coalition leadership. The Coalition is also launching their 2024-2027 Early Childhood System Plan. We wish Mollie White, one of the founding leaders of the Alliance, the very best in her new endeavors!
Dr. Kim Nesbitt, Primary Investigator for the PDG grant, presented to the Council for Thriving Children on December 9th. As part of the presentation, a number of new documents were shared with the Council and Dr. Nesbitt provided several recommendations for the Council to consider for sustaining the work the PDG. Additionally, Dr. Nesbitt shared a compilation of federal funding for early childhood from the Departments of Education, HHS, and Labor. Click here to read that document.
Here's what PDG supported in 2023-24:
Here's a look back at the work from 2022-2023:
"Every five years the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Maternal Health Section, conducts a statewide needs assessment to learn what health issues are of most concern to New Hampshire families. The results of this survey will be used to determine what priorities we should focus on for the next five years to improve the health of New Hampshire women, infants, children, and their families." There's a chance to win a $50 Wal-Mart gift card for completing the survey. Click here to complete the survey or download the pdf below to share with others.  The Alliance hosted its 7th Early Childhood Convening on November 21, bringing together passionate individuals from across the state for a day filled with learning, networking, and collaboration. This year’s theme, Synergy for Success: Strengthening Connections, emphasized the importance of building both figurative and literal connections in a child's early years. Virginia Jones, Family Support Program Specialist at DHHS, provided valuable insights into the Comprehensive Family Support Program and the pilot Newborn Navigator Program. Sarah Fox and Patrice Baker shared the HOPE Framework, which centers on the four building blocks of Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) and their impact on lifelong outcomes. The highlight of the day was the Brain Architecture Game, where participants worked together to build a representation of a young child's brain. Here's a comment from a participant: "It opened valuable dialogue. It illustrated in a very tangible way the impact of ACES on brain development and also emphasize how PCES can mitigate that impact." The photos below show some Convening participants engaging in this thought provoking game. The materials from the event can be found here. NH POSSIBLE is a partner movement working towards its vision of a "state where individuals, families, communities and businesses all have what they need to thrive, including a sense of belonging, opportunities for civic engagement, optimal health, and access to educational and financial opportunity." To learn more about this effort, go to their website.  Amoskeag Health is seeking an Early Childhood Consultant to support Early Childhood Coordination in Greater Derry and Manchester. Click for the full RFA.  The team at CDFA just released several tools and resources developed for family child care providers on an accessible website. These resources are intended to deliver value to family child care providers, and those delivering services to them, in the long term.
Guide to Becoming a Family Child Care Provider Family child care programs provide essential support to families and play a vital role in New Hampshire communities. The New Hampshire Guide to Becoming a Family Child Care Provider is a resource for those at all stages of small business ownership. The guide is broken down into three phases: explorative, preparation and sustainability. Within each phase there are subcategories that outline various resources, information, checklists and links to further guide you through the process. Development of the guide was a collaboration between the New Hampshire Child Care Advisory Council and Andylex Youth Enrichment Company. Family Child Care Provider Resource Library The small business resource library was created to provide tools that family child care providers and coaches can use to rapidly build business resiliency now and in the future. The resource library covers a range of topics critical to operating a sustainable family child care small business in key areas including starting a small business, business operations, managing business finances, tax preparation strategies, as well as growth and sustainability. Resources are available in Spanish and English and use a workbook-style approach to allow self- or coach-supported implementation. Also available online:
The NH Zoning Atlas team, led by the Center for Ethics in Society at Saint Anselm College, undertook an analysis that included collecting all of the zoning regulations that govern home-based child care in every community across the state. The study underscores the numerous challenges that home-based providers face, such as rising housing costs, resistance from landlords, and complex regulatory and licensing requirements. The key findings provide New Hampshire’s home-based child care community, community leaders, and policy-makers an understanding of the impact of recent legislation on our communities, as well as what can be done with zoning to facilitate home-based childcare. Three opportunities for community based grants
 Mollie White, Executive Manager of the Coos Coalition for Young Children and Families, and longtime Alliance Leadership Team member, is the recipient of the Dr. Robert Chamberlin Award. Read more about Mollie's great contributions to supporting both local, regional and statewide early childhood efforts. Congratulations Mollie!
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