High-quality child care results in both significantly improved life outcomes for children as well as greater economic output at the state-level. However, child care providers in New Hampshire face a number of challenges that disrupt their ability to provide high-quality care, including high staff turnover and difficulties with staff training and credentialing. This report examines New Hampshire’s use of federally allocated Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) quality dollars, focusing on three primary dimensions of quality improvement: quality rating and improvement systems (QRIS), workforce professional development, and staff retention. We selected the case study states of Vermont, Massachusetts, and Nevada as each state had a distinct approach to QRIS, professional development, and/or improving staff retention that we sought to examine. Among these distinct approaches were Vermont’s recently expanded coaching network and changes to QRIS financial incentives, Nevada’s extended implementation of early childhood education training for working children with special social-emotional needs, and Massachusetts’ pause on QRIS and wage supplements for early childhood educators. By comparing New Hampshire’s approach to those of our case study states, this research identifies effective strategies for using finite federal funds to strengthen the quality of child care.

Through case studies, expert interviews, and literature review, the report assesses how investments in QRIS and professional training for the child care workforce enhance provider stability and improve classroom environments. The report’s recommendations include: increasing communications to providers about New Hampshire’s QRIS; extending coaching services to all providers enrolled in QRIS; and using targeted funding to supplement early childhood educator wages and thus reduce turnover.