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

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys

National Issue Brief #169 (Winter 2023) examines how New Hampshire families with children under age nine access early childhood care and education, drawing on 2022 Preschool Development Grant Family Needs Assessment Survey responses from a non-random statewide parent sample. Results show many parents searched for new child care, often reporting difficulty driven by limited availability and affordability. Even among those who found care, most arrangements were less than ideal, indicating persistent gaps in matching schedules and needs amid ongoing stressors.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Most Respondents Searched for Child Care; Half of Searchers Found Challenges

Challenges: availability and affordability of slots

Respondents Who Have Access to Care Still Struggle to Find Ideal Arrangements

Patterns of nonparental care use and arrangement types

University of New Hampshire Carsey School of Public Policy CARSEY RESEARCH National Issue Brief \#169 Winter 2023 New Hampshire Parents Use Child Care but Seek More Options Jess C arson and S ar ah Boe ge ew Hampshire families have not been exempt Nfrom thated witehdaisnruptioendunrisnagnpdacnhdaellenmic,gesincassoludicnig 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. Most Respondents Searched for Child Care; Half of Searchers Found Challenges About three-quarters of respondents with children under age five had searched for a new child care arrangement in the past year, with deeply divided experiences. Of the more than 300 searching parents, 52 percent reported their search was difficult, while the rest reported it was not. Having a difficult experience was not related to respondents’ geographic characteristics, such as whether the respondent lived in a rural part of the state or in one region over another, to family characteristics, like the number of adults in the house, income, or employment, or to the age of the respondents’ youngest child. Rather, regardless of these characteristics, respondents most often struggled with the availability and affordability of slots (Figure 1) . “Options are too expensive or are full, with extensive wait lists,” explained one parent. Others concurred, suggesting that “limited openings” resulted in “very long waitlist[s] and few options.” That respondents felt limited openings so acutely is likely exacerbated by a combination offactors. First, while many states saw their child care supply decimated by the pandemic,1 the number of licensed slots in New Hampshire slightly rose between 2017 and 2021.2 However, New Hampshire is also part of a broader national trend toward the loss of licensed family or home-based providers. As a result, although New Hampshire’s overall supply has weathered the pandemic well, available slots have consolidated into fewer locations,3 which could result in parents’ perception of “no openings” among providers near enough to be feasible options for care. While data collected in prior PDG needs assessments are not directly comparable to New England Center • 15 Strafford Avenue • Durham, NH 03824 (603) 862-2821 • [carsey.unh.edu](carsey.unh.edu) TTY Users: dial 7-1-1 or 1-800-735-2964 (relaY N. H.) 2 C A R S E Y SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY the data here, it is worth noting that affordability was more often cited asa difficulty in the 2019–2020 assessment than was a lack of openings.4 By the 2020–2021 needs assessment, the two were more similarly ranked.5 In this assessment, a lack of “openings” eclipsed affordability as a factor, despite other difficulties remaining similarly ranked over time (e.g., about one-third of respondents in each of the three assessments have struggled to find care that matches their schedule) . Respondents Who Have Access to Care Still Struggle to Find Ideal Arrangements Despite challenges while seeking care, three-quarters of those who sought care in the past year reported eventually finding it. As a result, 74 percent of all respondents with children underage five reported using at least five hours per week of nonparental care. This share matches estimates from Census Bureau data collected in fall 2022, which show 76 percent of New

FAQs

What survey data does the brief use and who responded?

The brief uses responses from a non-random sample of parents statewide collected in the 2022 New Hampshire Preschool Development Grant Family Needs Assessment Survey. The analysis focuses on families with children under age nine, including separate results for children under age five.

Why do many parents report difficulties when searching for child care?

Parents most often struggle with the availability and affordability of child care slots. Many describe options as too expensive, full, or associated with extensive waitlists, leading to limited openings.

Even when parents find care, what problem remains?

About four-fifths of those using care report the arrangement is less than ideal. Difficulties include finding care that fits schedules and meeting children’s needs, even after access is achieved.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Rhys