Shaheen Visits Manchester Childcare Facility, Speaks with Households and Small Enterprise Concerning the Childcare Disaster

February 10, 2023

Shaheen visiting The Rising Years Early Childhood Heart in Manchester.

**Later within the day, Shaheen delivers remarks on the New Hampshire Meals and Diet Safety Summit in Harmony.**

Shaheen on the New Hampshire Meals and Diet Safety Summit in Harmony.

(Manchester, NH) – At present, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) hosted a press convention at The Rising Years Early Childhood Heart in Manchester to spotlight the childcare disaster and the pressing want for the State to ship funding the New Hampshire delegation secured to help the childcare trade. She was joined by Caitlin Loving, a mom of two who has struggled to search out childcare that meets her household’s wants; Anya Burzynski, a small enterprise proprietor who mentioned how this disaster is hurting her means to rent and retain much-needed employees; and Kitty Larochelle, The Rising Years Director, who spoke concerning the challenges dealing with childcare suppliers and the necessity to bolster help for the sector. The group met in a classroom that continues to be empty due to staffing challenges impacting childcare suppliers.

“The childcare disaster has hit companies and households throughout New Hampshire – notably within the wake of the pandemic. At present, I visited Rising Years to fulfill with Kitty, Anya and Caitlin, a childcare supplier, a small enterprise proprietor and a mom of two, concerning the private impacts of challenges round childcare entry and affordability. We all know our financial system is stronger when dad and mom have the flexibility to work with out worrying about whether or not their children are in protected fingers. That’s why I pushed for $77 million in federal childcare funding for New Hampshire within the American Rescue Plan, so our suppliers have the assets they should service native households,” stated Shaheen. “However two years later, $23 million stays untouched within the State’s coffers. Every single day wasted hamstrings our effort to carry childcare inside attain for households in want. As I sustain strain on the State to manage these funds instantly, I’ll proceed working within the Senate to comprehensively deal with challenges round childcare affordability and entry.”

Within the Senate, Shaheen has been a champion for funding to help childcare and early training. Earlier this week, Shaheen joined U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Dan Sullivan (R-AK) in reintroducing the Childcare Workforce and Services Act to handle the nationwide scarcity of inexpensive, high quality childcare, particularly in rural communities. Within the authorities funding invoice for fiscal 12 months (FY) 2023, Senator Shaheen labored to incorporate a $1.86 billion enhance to $8.02 billion for Childcare and Growth Block Grants to states, in addition to a $960 million enhance to Head Begin, funding this system at practically $12 billion for FY 2023. The brand new regulation moreover consists of a rise of $25 million to $315 million for Preschool Growth Grants. In the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, she led efforts in Congress to help the childcare sector. Within the emergency COVID-19 aid laws that handed Congress and was signed into regulation in 2020 and the American Rescue Plan, Shaheen efficiently included language that supplied $50 billion in urgently wanted help for childcare.

Later within the day, Shaheen delivered remarks on the NH Meals and Diet Safety Summit in Harmony. The Senator highlighted the extraordinary efforts of New Hampshire starvation advocates throughout the pandemic and underscored federal funds and vitamin packages accessible to assist Granite Staters entry nutritious, inexpensive meals.

“The pandemic exacerbated meals entry challenges dealing with households throughout New Hampshire, and it has required an all-hands-on-deck effort to attach these combating accessible assets,” stated Shaheen. “I’d wish to thank NH Starvation Options, at present’s awardees and all volunteers for his or her tireless efforts to bridge the hole in entry to nutritious, inexpensive meals. Our work is just not over, and I’ll proceed to help frontline organizations as we in the end strengthen meals techniques, so no Granite Stater goes hungry.

Senator Shaheen has lengthy led efforts to handle meals insecurity in New Hampshire. Earlier this 12 months, she visited the NH Meals Financial institution to spotlight the $974,000 Congressionally Directed Spending award she secured within the FY23 authorities funding laws. The laws additionally included $257,000 in federal funds for New Hampshire Starvation Options to boost their outreach and communications about federal vitamin packages. NH Starvation Options and the NH Meals Financial institution had been supportive of the Increasing SNAP Choices Act, laws Shaheen cosponsored to handle starvation wants in mild of COVID-19 and guarantee SNAP recipients have enough choices to securely store for groceries within the midst of the general public well being pandemic. The invoice would develop on-line SNAP buying choices by enabling and supporting extra retailers to take part in this system. Shaheen additionally was a key supporter of the American Rescue Plan, federal laws which, amongst many key vitamin provisions, supplied $4 billion in versatile funding to the U.S. Division of Agriculture (USDA) to put money into native meals buying and distribution networks. Shaheen led bipartisan negotiations on vitamin help included within the 2020 COVID aid laws that was signed into regulation, efficiently securing $175 million for Older People Act (OAA) vitamin packages.

 

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