New Hampshire receives $8 million in federal funding for child care, health care, and recreation

Two New Hampshire child care centers will share more than $1 million in federal grants to expand and address the state’s child care shortage. A third center plans to increase the childhood education workforce with its grant.

The awards are through the Northern Border Regional Commission Catalyst program. The money will add 34 child care spots at the Well Collaborative NH in Claremont and allow the Keene Day Care Center to be able to enroll an additional 20 spots, bringing its capacity to 90.

The state's child care shortage has led thousands of parents to forgo work, making it harder for employers to find workers, according to a study earlier this year from the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute.

“These projects reflect exactly what the catalyst program is designed to do – hel