Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) met with members of MomsRising on Aug. 25 to discuss the state’s ongoing childcare crisis. Courtesy photo

NASHUA – Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (D-NH) recently hosted a roundtable discussion with advocacy group MomsRising to garner additional insight into the state’s ongoing childcare crisis.

“I had the chance to sit down with an extraordinary group of Granite State women. They came from towns across our district — from Sutton to Atkinson, from Peterborough to Pembroke and from Hillsborough to Nashua. They’re all advocates with MomsRising,” said Goodlander following the Aug. 25 discussion, adding that families are already suffering from the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. “I learned a lot from them about the many ways that Trumpflation is making their lives more expensive: from back to school supplies to life-saving healthcare for their kids. I’m so proud to be working for and alongside these amazing moms to tackle Trumpflation and make life affordable, safe and free for people across our state.”

According to a recent report from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute, there were approximately 8,000 fewer childcare slots for children under the age of six between 2018 and 2022.

“This mismatch would, in a typical market, create higher tuition prices and encourage the number of childcare providers to increase,” said the NHFPI. “In reality, however, most programs cannot increase tuition enough to cover the true cost of high-quality care while still remaining affordable to families. These fragile economics result in parents paying relatively high and increasing tuition prices. At the same time, childcare programs typically generate little or no profit.”

The childcare crisis is also being driven by a reduced workforce. According to the NHFPI, the median annual salary for childcare workers was $32,490 in 2023 — only $2,490 above the federal poverty line for a family of four.

In contrast, the median salary for kindergarten teachers was much more appealing at $63,980.

The NHFPI also reported that New Hampshire’s median income across all industries was $49,980 in 2023. At that time, parents were paying childcare tuitions that were between 40 and 61 percent of their take-home pay.

“Families like mine across New Hampshire are feeling the pain and paying the prices for President Trump’s trade wars — and we are seeing it everywhere from the grocery store to our energy bills,” said Julia, a mother in Atkinson. “I’m grateful that me and my family have an advocate in Congresswoman Goodlander who understands what we are up against and is fighting back.”

In July, Goodlander helped introduce the Child Care for Working Families Act. The legislation would bring tuition rates down to $15 a day for families with state median incomes. In addition, families with incomes that are less than 85 percent of the state median will not pay anything at all.

The legislation also states that compensation for childcare workers would be increased to be “equivalent to wages for elementary educators with similar credentials and experience.”

“I’m grateful that New Hampshire moms have an advocate and a fierce ally in Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander to tackle these costs head-on and deliver for our kids,” said MacKenzie Nicholson, senior director of MomsRising New Hampshire. “As a mom, I know how stressful going back to school can be for families. You want to make sure your kids have everything they need to start the school year feeling confident, prepared and capable. But, I am hearing from moms more than ever that even the basics are costing more because of Trumpflation – rising costs thanks to President Trump’s tariffs and Republican cuts to the very programs that lower costs for families on things like healthcare, childcare and food assistance.”