Work Doesn’t Work Without Quality Childcare
Last week, I toured a childcare facility in Rochester with its Executive Director, Cora-Lynn Hoppe, and Family Service Coordinator, Anne Grassie—wife of Rochester’s new mayor, Chuck. It was a beautiful day, and it reminded me of why I first ran for office in Hampton: without real support from our elected leaders, the everyday costs of living are harming our families and communities who need it most.
Seeing the care that Anne and Cora give to these children re-inforced my belief that I have seen as a mother myself: childcare centers are foundational community spaces for young families.
Inside Rochester Childcare Center, art from the kiddos hangs on the walls. Knitted hats and scarves abound for families who don’t have the materials to stay warm in our cold New Hampshire winters. This center, like many other in our district, was a shining light of warmth and joy. And I’m so grateful to Anne and Cora for giving me a tour to see the positive impact their childcare center is making on the lives of so many young ones.
Childcare like this is a human right: high-quality, affordable, and accessible. But too many New Hampshire families are priced out of these critical community spaces.
The average cost of sending two children to daycare in New Hampshire is $32,000 a year. That’s about a third of the median household income in our state. That’s real money.
Our state has made childcare cheaper through things like the Child Care Scholarship (apply here) and other small measures of progress, but the damage remains. New Hampshire families lost over $177 million in 2023 due to the prohibitively high cost of childcare. We can’t keep dodging the real problem: a lack of public investment.
I’m ready to tackle this problem straight on in Congress and invest in childcare enough to cap childcare costs at 7% of a family’s income. Putting real money back in the pockets of Granite Staters and giving our children a strong start to succeed.
This is just part and parcel of the affordability crisis our communities face today. One of the most shocking things I heard while touring the facility was that many of the beautiful little kids I was meeting had nowhere to go home to when the day ended.
What kind of country are we living in when babies have no home?
In Congress, I will fight for these kids and their families, to ensure everyone has affordable access to high-quality child support they need. Coupling that with my fight to increase affordable housing and use the power of the federal government to lower the burden on property taxpayers, we can make a real difference in our communities.
