A look at child care accessibility in New Hampshire
Amy Brooks is the executive director of the Early Care and Education Association, a nonprofit organization that works to expand and improve pre-K child care in New Hampshire and Vermont. Brooks discussed some of the biggest child care issues affecting child care providers and families with young children in the state.
What are some child care challenges New Hampshire has faced, even before Covid?
The funding structure for child care obviously just doesn’t work. … When children aren’t successful in school, it’s rarely because they’re not smart; it’s because they struggle emotionally or socially. … About 80 percent of a child’s brain is developed by the age of 3, and 90 percent by the age of 5 … so investing in high-quality programming for children under 5, especially for children under 3 and for children living in poverty … [would result] in a lower need for special education … and help to stabilize the child’s life so that they’re ready, especially socially and emotionally, to go to public school. … The fact that people who work with these young children are paid very low, and rarely with benefits, just doesn’t reflect the value of what is required of them. With the funding structure we have right now, the only way to raise wages for child care providers sustainably is to raise tuition, which falls on the family’s back. We need to start looking at a different model.
How has Covid made it more difficult for New Hampshire families to access child care?
When a child at a public school has a symptom, the school nurse does a screening, which may include a [Covid] test, to decide whether the child stays at school or not. Child care centers don’t have an RN like public schools do. When they’re dealing with a 2-year-old who is teething, [child care centers] have to make that judgment call: Are they just teething, or could they have Covid? They aren’t doctors or nurses — they don’t know — so most of them just turn the child home. … So the biggest issue is really keeping the kids in care.
Has this led to any child safety concerns?
One of the ramifications [of limited access to child care] for families is that they’re having to go into unregulated situations. At the beginning of the pandemic, it was encouraged by DHHS and the governor to create neighborhood ‘pods’ where [families] would take care of each other’s kids during remote learning. Well, now, some of those people … [who also] have a 3- or a 4- or a 5- year-old are keeping those pods [for child care] because they’re so desperate. [The families hosting the pods] are not becoming licensed … and some of them are charging sometimes as much as what a child care center is charging.
What ripple effect does child care have on the state as a whole?
The entire pipeline of every [business’] staff has been disrupted. Just look at how many people are home after losing their jobs or not being able to go back to work because they have kids and can’t find child care. That includes people in high-need positions. … Health care centers are having to cancel clinics and cancel regular appointments because they’re lacking staff because their staff can’t get child care. … I know of a grandmother who [worked in] a senior position who left her job to take care of her grandchildren because she was the only one financially stable enough [in the family] to leave her job, and now, her [former] employer is struggling because a senior position is difficult to fill. These are key people being pulled out of the workforce, all because they don’t have child care.
What can New Hampshire families do to help improve the child care situation in the state?
[Share] their story … about the impact of the loss of child care on their family, whatever that may be. … Right now, it’s important that we keep giving [the issue of child care] adequate attention so that we can really move things forward on a state level.
Information from the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services.
Covid-19 news
During the state’s weekly public health update on Jan. 12, state epidemiologist Dr. Benjamin Chan reported that, on average, New Hampshire reported 2,500 new infections of Covid-19 per day over the previous week. That same day, the number of active infections in the state exceeded 20,000, a new all-time high during the pandemic. “Compared to one to two weeks ago, we are now seeing double the number of new infections identified each day … and we believe that this is likely due to the omicron surge now hitting New Hampshire,” Chan said. When asked later on about how long he expects the current winter surge to last in the state, Chan said that the answer remains unclear. “There’s data coming from other countries that have entered this surge even earlier than we have that are showing … potentially even a more rapid drop-off than what we’ve seen in other surges of the pandemic, but that’s not a sure thing,” he said. “We’re going to know on the backside of this curve, as we’re coming down from it.”
Also on Jan. 12, the New Hampshire Insurance Department issued a statement in response to the Biden administration’s announcement that private insurers will soon have to cover the cost of eight at-home Covid tests per member per month. “We have been proactive in contacting New Hampshire’s health insurers to discuss the implementation of the new mandate,” Commissioner Christopher Nicolopoulos said in the statement. “We encourage consumers to contact their insurance provider to understand any testing arrangements that their provider has put into effect … [and] we urge the federal government to consider how this can be rolled out in a manner which ensures there is a sufficient supply of Covid-19 tests available.” Anyone with questions or concerns regarding their insurance coverage can contact the New Hampshire Insurance Department at 1-800-852-3416 or 271-2261, or via email at consumerservices@ins.nh.gov.
On Jan. 13, Gov. Chris Sununu responded to the news earlier that day of the Supreme Court’s vote to block the Biden administration from implementing a vaccine mandate for companies with 100 or more employees. “I am as pro-vaccine as they come, but today’s decision … is good news for employees and the businesses that keep our supply chains running and economy open,” a statement in part reads on Sununu’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
10-year TIP
Recommendations for the 2023-2032 Ten Year Transportation Improvement Plan were presented to the legislature last week by Gov. Chris Sununu. According to the letter that Sununu sent to Rep. John Graham, chairman of the House Public Works and Highways Committee, the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Intermodal Transportation held 21 in-person public hearings and one virtual hearing in the fall, and an online survey was also available. More than 400 comments were made through the hearing process, and more than 750 surveys were completed, according to the letter. Much of the feedback centered around the need to expand travel options (transit, bicycle, pedestrian, etc.) and the need to address infrastructure conditions. “Also, many attending the public hearings advocated for advancing projects or increasing project funding,” the letter read. The new plan expedites and advances 29 municipal bridge projects; it also puts a hold on the statewide exit sign renumbering project. Sununu said in his letter that this plan will fully fund prior Ten Year Plan commitments such as corridor improvements on Route 101, but that “it is important to continue focusing on preservation, maintenance and safety of the existing pavement and bridge infrastructure throughout the state.”
Farm to school
Last week, the New Hampshire Farm to School Reimbursement Policy Bill was presented to the House Education Committee. According to a press release, the bipartisan group of legislators sponsoring the bill is aiming to bring more healthy local food options to New Hampshire schools. “With this policy, … the Department of Education’s Office of Nutrition Programs and Services would provide a monetary incentive to schools who choose to direct more of their ‘per meal’ USDA cash reimbursement funds toward purchases from New Hampshire and New England farmers. The state would encourage this channeling of federal funds into the local economy by awarding schools $1 for every $3 spent on food from New Hampshire and $1 for every $6 spent on food from the New England region,” the bill’s prime sponsor, Rep. Alexis Simpson (D-Exeter), said in a statement.
All bets are on
Slightly more than two years after the inception of sports betting in New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Lottery and DraftKings — the state’s exclusive sports betting provider — surpassed the $1 billion mark in total sports wagering. According to a press release, during the first week of January, New Hampshire players had placed more than 23 million bets since sports betting launched in the Granite State on Dec. 30, 2019. “We are pleased with what we have accomplished and we are excited to continue growing sports betting as a revenue driver supporting our schools,” Charlie McIntyre, executive director of the New Hampshire Lottery, said in the release. Over the past two years, the top five sports betting drivers have been the NFL, NBA, college basketball, college football and table tennis, the release said.
Choose Love
Sixteen residents at the New Hampshire Correctional Facility for Women recently graduated from the Corrections Choose Love 12-week pilot program, which teaches adults how to respond with kindness in any situation by using courage, gratitude, forgiveness and compassion-in-action, according to a press release. The program teaches skills like handling adversity and responding with love while promoting self-empowerment, resilience, connection and optimism. “By acknowledging that adults in our state prisons have experienced adverse childhood experiences and have had long-term negative effects on their conduct, the Choose Love program has the power to assist people in adopting lifelong skills focusing on self-regulation and social and emotional learning by creating a common language across our facilities,” New Hampshire Department of Corrections Commissioner Helen Hanks said in the release.
iPlatform
On Tuesday, Jan. 25, at 6 p.m. the New Hampshire Department of Education will host a webinar for the general public to teach people how to use the New Hampshire Department of Education’s iPlatform data portal, which was launched a few years ago but was enhanced and expanded last year. “This tool uses modern technology that allows individuals to easily access key indicators across all school districts in New Hampshire, including enrollment demographics, achievement trends, graduation rates, educator salaries and more,” Frank Edelblut, commissioner of education, said in a press release. “We have harnessed all of the various data and made it transparent in an effort to start real, informed conversations about the state’s education system.” The webinar is free; register at education.nh.gov.
Manchester’s newest solar array at the former Dunbarton Road landfill is up and running after more than two years of preparation and planning. According to a press release, it is the largest municipal solar array in the state, with more than 8,000 panels that will supply 3.8 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy to the power grid annually, enough to power hundreds of homes annually across the city.
Aviation pioneer Bernice Blake Perry has been honored with a historical marker that was recently installed near Milford Rotary Centennial Park on Route 101A in Milford. The marker reads, in part: “In 1929, Manchester native Bernice Blake Perry became the first woman in New Hampshire to pilot a plane and the first female commercial pilot in New England. She spent her adult life in Milford and was a charter member of the Ninety-Nines, a pioneering group of female pilots led by Amelia Earhart,” according to a press release.
The New Hampshire Housing Board of Directors has approved financing for four affordable multi-family rental housing developments, to help meet the needs of the state’s workforce and other residents, in Nashua, Manchester and Conway, according to a press release. Locally, Nashua will see the addition of 43 general occupancy units in the Apartments at 249 Main St., while Manchester’s Kelley Falls project will add two new 24-unit buildings, and its Renew II project will rehabilitate three properties for a total of 101 general occupancy units, the release said.
Kick the weekend off early with karaoke with DJ Dicey at Area 23 (254 N. State St. in Concord; thearea23.com) tonight at 8 p.m. Find more karaoke and live music in our Music This Week listing, which starts on page 34.
Saturday, Jan. 15
Head to the indoor farmers market in Milford today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1 Union Square (on the Oval) in Milford. Vendors include Hulda’s Swedish Baked Goods, Quarter Moon Farms (which specializes in black garlic), Sweet Treats by Emilee, Pups Cider, Paradise Farm, O’Regan Breads, G3 Baking (gluten-free) and more, according to milfordnhfarmersmarket.com.
Saturday, Jan. 15
Catch comedian Jody Sloane tonight at Chunky’s Cinema Pub (151 Coliseum Ave. in Nashua; chunkys.com) at 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20.
Saturday, Jan. 15
Need just one more hit of the holiday season? Morgan James’ rescheduled “Morgan James: A Very Magnetic Post Christmas Tour” comes to the Rex Theatre (23 Amherst St. in Manchester; palacetheatre.org, 668-5588) today at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $25.
Monday, Jan. 17
The Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition is holding a community celebration today from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. This virtual program, which you can access at mlknh.org, is called “Love Not Hate” and will feature music by the Manchester High School West Jazz Band, music by the MLK Jr. Choir, special guest TJ Wheeler and “community shared reading of excerpts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1957 sermon ‘Loving Your Enemies,” according to the website.
The Currier Museum of Art (150 Ash St. in Manchester; currier.org, 669-6144) is also commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a virtual program at 11 a.m. called “Invisibility: An Art Conversation and Visual Response.” Register on the website, which describes the event as a “live program over Zoom about invisibility and related issues of love and hate. We’ll begin with a conversation about paintings by Norman Lewis and Glenn Ligon and conclude with a collaborative visual response.” The museum, which is usually closed Mondays, will be open today from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 17
Get out and enjoy nature in winter with a guided winter hike/snowshoe at Beaver Brook Association’s Maple Hill Farm (117 Ridge Road in Hollis; 465-7787, hbeaverbrook.org) today from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. The hike is listed as open to ages 14 and up; registration costs $20, according to the website. The 2-mile hike will feature the search for animal tracks and wildlife activity.
Save the date! Thursday, Feb. 3
Enter the Haggis, the Celtic rock band that includes the sounds of fiddles and bagpipes and whose fans are known as “Haggis heads,” will play the Bank of NH Stage (16 S. Main St. in Concord; ccanh.com) on Thursday, Feb. 3, at 8 pm. Tickets cost $18 for general admission, $25 for reserved balcony (plus fees). See a video about the band at the Cap Center’s website or go to enterthehaggis.com for more of their music.
Area 23 in Concord is making snow days even better for teachers and school staff. According to Area 23’s Facebook page, if Concord cancels school in January or February, teachers and staff get drinks and food at half price from 4 to 6 p.m. that day. The eatery, located on North State Street, offers craft beer, cider and pub eats.
Score: +1
Comment:Area 23 gets an A+ for this snow day special!
Success at the slopes
The holiday week was a success for the state’s ski areas, according to a press release from Ski New Hampshire, with most resorts reporting that business was up for the period compared to last year. Pats Peak in Henniker, for example, had significant increases in admissions and revenue; general manager Kris Blomback said in the release that business was “absolutely booming.” At McIntyre Ski Area, there was an increase in the number of visitors who had never been skiing or riding but decided to give it a try, marketing director Aly Moore said in the release. Moore also reported that many guests chose to spend time outside on the patio around the fire pits, and at Pats Peak relatively mild weather had guests stay outside the lodge for eating and breaks.
Score: +1
Comment:With the Martin Luther King Jr. long weekend coming up, “snowmaking efforts will resume in full force to refresh snow conditions and expand terrain,” the release said
It’s beginning to look a lot like winter
The weather has been brutal lately, with unexpected icing Jan. 5 leading to cars off the roads all over the state during the morning commute, followed by a snow day for some on Jan. 7 and more winter weather that made for tough driving Jan. 9. QOL got caught off guard by snow squalls in the Hooksett and Concord area Jan. 10, and the following day, wind chill advisories were in effect, getting as low as 25 below zero, according to a press release.
Score: -1
Comment:Yes, QOL knows this is New Hampshire, but with Covid putting so many events and activities in jeopardy again, it would be nice if we didn’t have to worry every day about weather canceling plans.
Family-friendly Granite State
New Hampshire is the sixth-best state to raise a family, according to WalletHub’s new report of 2022’s Best & Worst States to Raise a Family. According to a press release, the personal finance website compared family-friendliness data for all 50 states, using information like median annual family income and housing affordability. The Granite State is No. 1 in two areas: It has the lowest percentage of families in poverty and the lowest unemployment rate. It also has the second lowest infant mortality rate and second fewest violent crimes per capita.
Score: +1
Comment:New Hampshire was above average in other areas too; according to the report, it ranked 17th for child-care costs, median annual family income and percentage of residents ages 12 and up who are fully vaccinated, and it ranked 19th for its separation and divorce rate.
QOL score: 50
Net change: +2
QOL this week: 52
What’s affecting your Quality of Life here in New Hampshire? Let us know at news@hippopress.com.
The regular season is in the books and the NFL playoffs start Saturday. Here are some thoughts from looking back and ahead.
Guess we can put a hold on all those Coach of the Year votes for FrankReich after Indy pulled the gag of the century by falling from odds-on favorite to host a playoff game to missing them altogether, with losses to the worst team in football (Jacksonville) in Week 18 and while resurrecting the presumed dead Raiders in Week 17.
Not that losing five straight to go from the top seed to out of the playoffs wouldn’t happen to most teams who lose their starting QB, or saying I wouldn’t want him. But when a team heavily relies on a running QB as the Ravens do with LamarJackson, isn’t what happened to him/them a sooner or later inevitable outcome?
What, TomBrady can’t shoot his age? Throwing a second best in his career 43 TD passes at his advanced age is astonishing. But it would have been even cooler if he’d gotten one more to make it 44 at 44! Even with a very sluggish final month MacJones had a better first regular season than Brady in 2001. And in being watched through the lens that comes from 20 years of expecting excellence around here, he did it with far greater scrutiny and pressure than Brady, who had none when he took over.
AntonioBrown saying the only reason Brady is his friend is that he’s a good football player doesn’t sound crazy to me.
Of course since AB backstabbed him with the phony vax card after Brady went out on a limb for him despite an avalanche of reasons not to, you can see how Brady might wipe his hands of this mess.
For what it’s worth, if I were putting a team together I’d absolutely take vax status into account in deciding who stays and who goes.
Both Patriots All-Pros from last year, GunnerOlszewski and JakeBailey, had no impact to negative impact on them this season. The return game did zero, while Bailey was inconsistent on kickoffs, rarely pinned teams inside the 10, and his three blocks were the most since the 1970s.
Mac may have had the best year among the five quarterbacks taken in the 2021 draft. But TuaTagovailoa wins Alabama Alumni bragging rights among their ex-QB’s by being 2-0 vs. his former back-up in 2021 after Sunday’s win in Miami. It also made his head coach Flores 4-2 head to head against Coach B.
My gut was wrong about feeling N’KealHarry would turn it around to answer the critics. He didn’t.
Got it right, thought, that CarsonWentz would (sorta) wreck his second team. Indy did go 9-8, but he was basically MIA as they gagged away their season and even in the ballyhooed win over NE he threw for only 57 yards.
If it’s Most Outstanding Player I’ll go with Cooper Kupp for his dominating statistical season. But if it’s Most Valuable Player, it’s AaronRodgers because of a superb season at the indispensable position.
CoachoftheYear:CoachB was in the running till Week 13 and anyone whose team hangs in to finish 9-8 after a 1-7 start, as Miami’s BrianFlores did, earns votes and makes his firing ridiculous. But, after losing DerrickHenry and using the most players in history thanks to injuries as Tennessee still has the AFC’s best record, it goes to MikeVrabel.
Under–the–RadarPlayeroftheYear: He’s been around for five years, but did anyone see Chargers all-purpose back AustinEkeler scoring 20 TD’s? Not me.
WorstCoachingMove: Go for it on fourth down analytics maven/Chargers Coach BrandonStaley retires it, for doofus moves in two games that each cost his team making the playoffs. The first came in Week 16 when he failed to make it on fourth down three times inside the five when all he needed vs. KC was a FG to avoid OT, where they lost. Then on Sunday he failed on fourth and one from his own 18 to gift-wrap a FG that helped Vegas make it to OT, where they knocked L.A. out of the playoffs.
The last time someone did something that dumb was Dallas coach BarrySwitzer failing on fourth down from his own 28 vs. the Giants in the 90’s leading to the NY Post headline BozoTheCoach!
Speaking of the G-Men, the best sign I saw last weekend was a guy wearing a Giants jersey and a grocery bag over his head holding a sign that said “fire everyone.”
Playoff predictions
Bucs (2) vs. Eagles (7): Can Brady win again for TB? He takes the next step this week. TB
Cowboys (3) vs. 49ers (6).: JimmyG shows critics they’re wrong about him. SF
Rams (4) vs. Cardinals (5): I don’t trust either team in the clutch. Rams
KC (2) vs. Pitt (8): Karma only goes so far for BigBen. KC
Buf (3) vs. NE (6): Losing three of their last four when the D couldn’t get the needed fourth-quarter stop in all three sapped all my Pats confidence. Bills
Cinn (4) vs. Oak (5): Trick-or-treat teams where both look great at times and not so much others. So I’ll close my eyes and pick. Bengals
Finally, what should stand out above all else about the late, great JohnMadden is not leaving coaching with the best winning percentage in history. It’s how he stood by DarrylStingley after he was paralyzed in a preseason game vs. Oakland, including calling Patriots Coach ChuckFairbanks to demand he not get on the plane home and get over to the hospital ASAP, because Stingley was 3,000 miles from home and alone, then making it a point to visit him as much as possible as he remained in Oakland. RIP, Big John.
Meet Rick Rossi, New Hampshire’s first Cybersecurity Advisor, a newly created position within the Integrated Operations Division, Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency of the Department of Homeland Security.
When and why was this position created?
This position was created by Congress in the fiscal year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, so I’m a federal employee funded by the Department of Homeland Security. It was created to improve communication as well as awareness of resources and collaboration between the federal government, state and local governments and critical infrastructure owners and operators.
What is your background in this type of work?
I come into the role with prior experience with the Department of Homeland Security and the Intelligence Community. … I’ve been with the Department in some form or fashion for almost 16 years now. I’ve done a lot of work with critical infrastructure owners and operators in terms of hardening their defenses and mitigating threats from our foreign advanced adversaries and other significant criminal cyber actors.
What exactly does this position entail?
My role as the Cybersecurity Advisor for New Hampshire is to offer cybersecurity assistance to critical infrastructure owners and operators, as well as state, local, tribal and territorial governments. That assistance can take the form of many different things, including introducing organizations to the myriad cybersecurity services and products that are available to them at no cost, as well as other public and private resources. … Additionally, my role includes providing cyber preparedness assessments, protective resources, strategic messaging, working group support and leadership, partnership in public-private development, as well as incident coordination and support in times of cyberthreat disruption and attack.
What do you hope to accomplish?
One of the primary goals is to make contact with as many critical infrastructure owners and operators, municipalities and government entities as possible … and [develop] a robust partnership between the public and private sector in terms of information sharing, cooperation and thought exchange. It’s not ideal to be exchanging business cards in the middle of an incident; it’s very useful to develop those relationships in advance. The secondary [goal] is to make sure that entities are aware of the cybersecurity resources available to them. … Oftentimes, we find that municipalities and smaller organizations … are very reticent about cybersecurity in terms of the investment monetarily … and aren’t always aware of the breadth of resources that are available to them at no cost through … public and private means.
What is the biggest challenge?
[Cybercriminals] generally gravitate toward targets of opportunity. New Hampshire has a number of very small towns and small businesses, and oftentimes those smaller entities don’t have the budget to put together a robust cybersecurity program. Oftentimes, there’s a misconception … smaller entities [have]: ‘Why would anybody want to attack us?’ The truth of the matter is, to a cybercriminal who’s after monetary gain, the size of the organization doesn’t matter. If it’s an easy buck, they’ll take the easy buck. So one of the challenges I have is [increasing] the knowledge that … the size of an organization doesn’t always [factor] into [cybercriminals’] targeting decisions.
Has Covid contributed to cybersecurity threats?
Early on during the pandemic, we saw the cyberthreat environment really ramp up, the reason being that most organizations weren’t prepared for a near-100-percent remote work environment. You had a lot of smaller businesses and organizations that don’t traditionally have people working from home having to employ remote access solutions to their networks, and when you’re trying to do something in haste, oftentimes, unfortunately, security doesn’t always take a front seat. We saw a lot of [criminals] … looking to take advantage of that situation where we didn’t always have security at the forefront.
How can New Hampshire residents protect themselves and their families from cybersecurity threats?
They can create strong passwords for their home WiFi network … as well as email accounts and social media. … If you have a simple password, like a dictionary word or something that can be easily guessed, like your pet’s name … [cybercriminals] could enable a password cracker [that uses] algorithms to guess your password. … You want to use passwords that are more complex, that aren’t dictionary words, that can’t be easily guessed, and that involve uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.
