Shaheen Leads NH Delegation in Announcing Nearly $9 Million to Support Early Childhood Education in NH

(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, led the New Hampshire delegation in welcoming $8,942,186 to the University System of New Hampshire from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Every Student Succeeds Act/Preschool Development Grant is part of a three-year (2020-2022) $26.8 million grant package and will strengthen New Hampshire’s early childhood education system – improving outcomes for children, families, schools and communities.

In the funding legislation announced by the Senate Appropriations Committee last month, Shaheen fought to secure $450 million for Preschool Development Grants – which would mark a $175 million increase from last year.

“Access to comprehensive early education paves the way for success for children – especially those from low-income families. That’s why I’m pleased to welcome nearly $9 million to New Hampshire to support our state’s early childhood education,” said Senator Shaheen. “This funding is key to helping students overcome learning loss and easing the unprecedented pressures faced by parents during the pandemic. As negotiations around government funding get underway, I’ll use my role as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee to ensure early childhood education remains a funding priority.”

“Every child deserves the opportunity to learn and grow in a supportive environment that will help set them up for future success,” Senator Hassan said. “This funding to New Hampshire will help our state better meet the needs of our youngest Granite Staters and ensure that we can provide the best care and learning experience to our children, which in turn will help our state and country thrive.” 

“It is essential to the future of our state that all children are prepared for kindergarten, regardless of their family’s income or zip code,” said Rep. Kuster. “This federal funding supports efforts right here in New Hampshire to ensure every child gets a strong start. Access to early learning is so important to a child’s development, and I am thrilled that children across the Granite State will benefit from these resources. I will continue working to close the opportunity gap and ensure every student has the support needed to get ahead.”

“To build the best possible future for our kids we need to ensure that families have access to early childhood education,” said Rep. Pappas. “These funds will help to close opportunity gaps and ensure that our children have quality care and learning opportunities. I’ll keep working to improve child care and early childhood education to give our kids the best head start we can.”

Through her leadership on the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen has been a champion for funding to support child care and early education in the Senate. In the funding legislation announced by the Senate Appropriations Committee last month, Shaheen worked to include $2.8 billion in increased funding for key federal child care and early learning programs. The bill includes a $1.4 billion increase to $7.3 billion for Child Care and Development Block Grants to states, as well as a nearly $1.2 billion increase to Head Start, funding the program at nearly $12 billion for FY 2022. Shaheen and Hassan have led efforts in Congress to assist the child care sector, which has been among the hardest hit the pandemic. In the emergency COVID-19 relief legislation that passed Congress and was signed into law in December, and the American Rescue Plan enacted in March, Shaheen successfully included language that provided $50 billion dollars in urgently needed relief for child care providers in New Hampshire, which Hassan supported. 

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