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

Abstract

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