On a quiet Tuesday morning in Manchester, New Hampshire, a group of parents gathered in the corner of a local community center, sipping coffee while their toddlers played nearby. The conversation, as it often does, drifted toward child care, who’s struggling to find it, who’s paying too much for it, and who’s had to rearrange their entire work schedule just to make it work. One mother, a nurse at a nearby hospital, shared that she’d switched to night shifts because daytime care was too expensive and too scarce. Another father, a warehouse manager, said his company had recently started offering partial reimbursement for child care, but only for full-time employees. Most in the room nodded. They’d heard it all before.
What they hadn’t heard was that a new bill, quietly making its way through the New Hampshire legislature, might change that. Proposed by Representative Katelyn Kuttab and supported by Governor Kelly Ayotte, the legislation would offer tax credits to businesses that expand child care capacity. It’s a policy move that’s drawing attention not just for its economic implications, but for its potential to reshape how families experience work and caregiving in a state where child care shortages have become a daily reality.
At the heart of the bill is a simple idea: if companies help solve the child care crisis, they should be rewarded. The proposed tax credit would apply to businesses that create new child care slots, either by building facilities, partnering with existing providers, or subsidizing care for employees. It’s a model that’s been tested in other states with mixed results, but in New Hampshire, where the workforce is aging and labor shortages are acute, the stakes feel different. Here, child care isn’t just a family issue, it’s a workforce issue, a public health issue, and increasingly, a political one.
For families like the ones in Manchester, the bill offers a glimmer of hope. But it also raises questions. Will small businesses be able to afford the upfront costs of expanding care? Will rural areas, where providers are few and far between, see any benefit? And what safeguards will be in place to ensure that new facilities meet safety and quality standards?
Governor Ayotte, speaking at a child care forum last week, emphasized the need for collaboration. “We need everyone at the table,” she said, “our business community, state and local officials, and our nonprofits.” Her remarks underscored a broader shift in how child care is being framed, not as a private concern, but as a shared responsibility. The bill, she argued, could help working families while also strengthening the economy. By incentivizing companies to invest in child care, the state hopes to attract and retain workers, especially women, who are disproportionately affected by caregiving demands.
That framing resonates with advocates like Marisol Jiménez, a community health worker in Nashua who’s spent years helping immigrant families navigate the child care system. “It’s not just about finding a place to drop off your kid,” she said. “It’s about trust, safety, and knowing your child is being cared for while you’re trying to make a living.” Jiménez sees the bill as a step in the right direction, but she’s cautious. “We’ve seen policies that sound good on paper but don’t reach the families who need them most.”
Her concerns are echoed by child care providers themselves. Many are operating at capacity, struggling to hire qualified staff, and facing rising costs. Without parallel investments in workforce development and infrastructure, some fear the bill could place additional pressure on an already strained system. The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services recently released a roadmap for expanding child care access, but implementation will take time, and funding remains uncertain.
Still, there’s momentum. In Concord, lawmakers from both parties have expressed interest in the bill, citing its potential to address multiple challenges at once. For Republican legislators, it aligns with pro-business values. For Democrats, it supports working families and gender equity. And for many constituents, it simply makes sense.
Back in Manchester, the parents at the community center are cautiously optimistic. They’ve seen promises before, and they know change doesn’t come overnight. But they also know what’s at stake. One mother, who recently left her job at a tech startup to care for her two-year-old full-time, put it plainly: “I loved my job. I was good at it. But I couldn’t afford to keep working and pay for child care. If my company had helped, even a little, I’d still be there.”
Her story is one of thousands across New Hampshire, each shaped by the same dilemma: how to balance work and caregiving in a system that often forces families to choose. The proposed bill doesn’t solve everything, but it gestures toward a future where that choice isn’t so stark. Where companies see child care not as a perk, but as a pillar of workforce stability. Where parents don’t have to sacrifice income for safety. And where children, regardless of zip code, have access to nurturing environments that support their growth.
As the legislative session unfolds, all eyes will be on Concord. The outcome of this bill could signal a new chapter in New Hampshire’s approach to family policy, one that recognizes the interconnectedness of economic health and human well-being. For now, families wait, hopeful that their stories are being heard, and that the state is ready to act.
