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NH Data & Initiatives

Progress in NH

New Hampshire is committed to using data and research to inform our work. Here, we share some of the challenges NH families face, and what our partners are doing to help.

Facts & Figures

9,879

Students enrolled in Kindergarten in NH public school districts

57%

Third grade students proficient in math

3,405

Homeless children and youth in NH

15%

Children in families that receive public assistance

24,000

Children living in food insecure households

52%

Third grade students proficient in reading

$65M

Dollars invested in child care to date relative to COVID-19

830

Child care programs currently licensed or registered in NH

45,976

Licensed or allowable child care slots currently offered

Positive Learning Experiences

Encouraging Play

Play-Based Learning

Play-based learning develops crucial skills for the 21st century and increases intrinsic curiosity & motivation to learn. In 2020, University of New Hampshire play-based learning coaches worked with preschool teachers in 10 early childhood centers & kindergarten teachers in 18 districts to teach play-based learning strategies.

Social Emotional Skills

Choose Love

The Choose Love curriculum helps turn classrooms into cultures where students feel safe, nurtured, connected & empowered. Choose Love has been accessed by 547 New Hampshire schools, and in 2020 was implemented in infant/toddler programs, homes, and community organizations.

Our goal is to equip and build capacity in ALL parents, educators, and community members so that they may understand the tools needed for ALL of our children to have bright futures.

Christine Brennan

Deputy Commissioner of Education New Hampshire Department of Education

Working Together to Solve Problems

The Facts

Arsenic in Water

Almost half of NH residents use private wells for their drinking water, but an estimated 25% of these wells have naturally occurring arsenic levels above the State’s regulatory standard.

The Problem

Harmful Exposure

For babies and pregnant women, even low-level arsenic exposure has been linked to immediate negative health outcomes, including low birth-weight, gestational diabetes, and an increase in infections requiring medical care.

NH's Solution

Free Tests & Filters

State and private organizations worked together to create a program where WIC families can learn about water testing and health risks of arsenic, have their well-water tested, and get a filter pitcher & replacement filters if the arsenic is higher than the State standards.

Preschool Development Grant

So much more than preschool

The Preschool Development Grant B-5 project is broader than preschool. To best support young children and families, the PDG B-5 will support early care and education, health, and family support initiatives broadly. The grant seeks to support New Hampshire's vision that all families are afforded comprehensive and responsive supports, so they are healthy, learning, and thriving, now and in the future. The three-year (2020-2022), $26.8 million grant, will help New Hampshire build an effective, inclusive, responsive, efficient, and evidence-informed early childhood system.