Four-in-Five Adults Are Vaccinated or Intend to Get a Vaccine

In this data snapshot, author Sarah Boege reports that by March 29, one-quarter of U.S. adults reported that they had already received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, 39.1 percent hadn’t yet been vaccinated but reported that they will “definitely” get one when available and another 17.4 percent said that they “probably” will. However, 10.1 percent of adults will “probably not” and 8.2 percent will “definitely not” get a vaccine. These data suggest that a large majority of adults could be vaccinated in the coming months, but experts see risks in having a sizeable group remain unvaccinated. COVID-19 vaccines are also not yet widely available to children and youth under 16 years old

New Data Show One-in-Six Children Were Poor Before COVID-19 Pandemic

New American Community Survey (ACS) data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on September 17, 2020 show child poverty at 16.8 percent in 2019, down from 18 percent in 2018. Sub-national patterns in child poverty remain intact; for example, higher in rural and urban places than in the suburbs. Importantly, 2019 child poverty declines are likely now outdated due to the COVID-19-related recession, the effects of which may last years. For instance, child poverty had still not yet returned to pre-Great Recession rates from 2007 in all states by 2019, illustrating that recovery in child poverty can be a long process

Affordability Challenges Drive Food Insufficiency in the Pandemic

In this data snapshot, authors Jess Carson and Sarah Boege find that getting food is a problem for people experiencing food insufficiency during the pandemic, but affording food is the biggest challenge

Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Eligibility by New Hampshire State Legislative District

In this brief, authors Sarah Boege and Jessica Carson translate New Hampshire free and reduced-price lunch eligibility data from the school level to the state House of Representatives legislative district level so that legislators have another resource for understanding the distribution of low-income families across the state and the extent to which child nutrition programs are especially relevant in their districts. They report that although the distribution of students eligible for free and reduced-price lunch (FRPL) across the state follows established patterns of child and family poverty, there is significant variation by House legislative district. The House district with the lowest FRPL eligibility rate is Rockingham 7 (Windham) at 2.5 percent, and the highest rate is in Hillsborough 12 (Manchester, Ward 5) at 82.6 percent. To support children’s access to school meals, legislators can use data such as the information offered in this brief to consider how to best ensure schools in their districts have the resources needed to identify, enroll, and serve children in need

New Hampshire Parents Use Child Care but Seek More Options

In this brief, authors Jess Carson and Sarah Boege describe child care use and gaps among respondents to the 2022 New Hampshire Preschool Development Grant Family Needs Assessment Survey. The authors report that three-quarters of responding parents with children under age five had searched for child care in the past 12 months; half reported that their search was difficult, with a lack of openings as the main challenge. Despite these difficulties, three-quarters of respondents with young children reported using some form of regular child care. However, four out of five parents who used care rated their child care arrangement as less than ideal. Survey results, combined with respondents’ write-in responses, suggest that these parents need child care so they can work, and while many are making do, respondents feel a significant shortage of affordable, flexible options to meet their families’ work, care, and education needs

Why Interstate Child Care Scholarship Policy Choices Matter in the Upper Valley: You can only charge the families so much

In this brief, the authors explore how state-level decisions in New Hampshire and Vermont manifest in the early childhood education and care sector, through the lens of the interstate Upper Valley region. They demonstrate the significant differences in the reach and adequacy of child care financial assistance programs (“child care scholarships”) across state lines, with Vermont’s program setting family income eligibility thresholds higher and delivering higher-value reimbursements to child care providers than New Hampshire’s program. While scholarships are key for widening low-income families’ access to high quality care, they are not a panacea. Not all eligible families participate in child care scholarship programs. Those who do may still be required to pay substantial cost shares. Similarly, not all providers accept scholarships as payment, due to low reimbursement rates and administrative burdens. The authors identify key policy opportunities to strengthen scholarships’ impact, including expanding family eligibility, increasing reimbursement rates to providers, and encouraging providers to participate in scholarship programs

Changing Child Care Supply in New Hampshire and Vermont’s Upper Valley

In this brief, authors Jess Carson and Sarah Boege describe changes in the early childhood education and care landscape of Grafton and Sullivan Counties in New Hampshire and Orange and Windsor Counties in Vermont, collectively known as the Upper Valley. The authors find that the Upper Valley lost 25 regulated child care providers serving children under age 5 between 2017 and 2021. However, with closure rates twice as high among family-based providers than among center-based providers and some new providers opening, the net number of slots has remained relatively stable (5,169 slots in 2021). The overall effect has been to consolidate available care into fewer, larger settings across the region. Three-quarters of Upper Valley providers open in 2017 were still open in 2021, reflecting greater stability than in non-Upper Valley portions of New Hampshire (71 percent) or Vermont (65 percent). However, the authors caution that early childhood educator workforce shortages limit the ability of child care providers to remain fully operational. They conclude by noting that workforce-supporting policy proposals differ in intensity across states, building on a stronger foundation of investments in Vermont than in New Hampshire

Supportive Program Strengths and Gaps for New Hampshire Families: Just enough money to barely pay for most things

In this brief, authors Sarah Boege and Jess Carson describe child and family program use and gaps among respondents to the 2022 New Hampshire Preschool Development Grant Family Needs Assessment Survey. Parents with children under age nine were asked about programs to help meet family food needs and to support child development and education. The authors find that nearly half of parent respondents used at least one of the programs in question, with the National School Lunch Program having the widest reach. Responding parents were generally familiar with food assistance programs, but less familiar with child development and education programs. Despite good knowledge of support programs, substantial shares of parents reported believing they were ineligible for services. Although it is difficult to identify whether self-screens for eligibility are accurate, steady outreach to potentially eligible populations is likely to be a persistent necessity to ensure Granite Staters are connected to the services that help families thrive. Respondents most frequently reported hearing about programs from trusted friends, family, or neighbors—reinforcing community-based networks as key informational sources

Bringing Solar Energy to Low- and Moderate-Income Communities

The U.S. solar photovoltaics industry has taken off over the past decade, but without deliberate action low- and moderate-income communities could be left behind in the transition to clean energy. Drawing on substantial literature related to multiple dimensions of low-income solar finance and interviews with key informants in the field, authors Eric Hangen, Rebecca Regan, and Sarah Boege recommend public investments and policy changes that could help scale the provision of equitable solar finance

Scaling Equitable Solar Finance

The U.S. solar photovoltaics industry has taken off over the past decade, but without deliberate action low- and moderate-income communities could be left behind in the transition to clean energy. Drawing on substantial literature related to multiple dimensions of low-income solar finance and interviews with key informants in the field, authors Eric Hangen, Rebecca Regan, and Sarah Boege recommend public investments and policy changes that could help scale the provision of equitable solar finance