New Hampshire's childcare providers have an October 1 to November 15 window to complete two surveys examining the prices families pay and the costs programs incur, the New Hampshire Bulletin reported September 30.
The Market Rate Survey measures what providers charge. The Narrow Cost Analysis examines expenses associated with delivering care. Separating those measures allows the state to consider both market prices and the resources needed to operate a program.
The Department of Health and Human Services partnered with the University of New Hampshire's Carsey School of Public Policy for this round. The results will inform childcare scholarship rates and the state's next federal Child Care and Development Fund plan.
The Bulletin reported that providers can complete the questionnaires through existing New Hampshire Connections Information System profiles. Officials described the responses as confidential and restricted to the survey's intended uses.
The previous survey produced a 53.2 percent response rate from 393 providers. The state received a waiver to use those results, making participation a focus in designing the new round.
The contract had faced months of Executive Council consideration before approval in May. The Bulletin's earlier coverage described the contract as supporting the work used to determine childcare aid for families.
A findings report is expected next spring. The open survey is a data-collection step; it does not itself announce a new scholarship amount or change the price a provider charges a family.
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