Rep. David Paige (D-Conway) serves as the NH House of Representatives ranking member on Housing and previously served on the House Special Committee on Childcare.

Over the last two years in the New Hampshire legislature, I was privileged to be part of a bipartisan effort that made historic new investments in early childhood. Included among these investments were enhancements to our state’s childcare scholarship program and grants aimed at stabilizing the early childhood workforce.

Unfortunately, Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s budget now threatens to unwind much of that hard-won, bipartisan progress. While the governor characterizes her proposed budget as necessary “belt-tightening,” these cuts to programs that support our youngest learners are penny-wise, pound-foolish.

Time and again, research has shown that targeted expenditures on early childhood yield significant returns on investment. A recent study from Georgetown University, for example, found that every $1 invested in early childhood mental health prevention saves between $1.80 and $3.30 in future costs related to healthcare, education and criminal justice. Cutting back on early childhood investments is not fiscal responsibility — it is shortsightedness that will cost taxpayers far more in the long run.

The future of the early care and education field in New Hampshire remains precarious. The hard-working professionals who teach our youngest kids face low wages and burnout, leading to workforce shortages that, in turn, snowball into more classroom and childcare center closures. The natural answer might seem to be raising tuitions, but the average family with an infant and preschooler already spends over $30,000 per year on childcare. Further tuition hikes only price more families out of care, often leaving young parents with no choice but to exit the workforce entirely.

The ripple effect of this instability is felt across the economy. A newly released study by the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute (NHFPI) found that in 2023 alone, the lack of available childcare led to business losses of between $36 million and $56 million due to reduced productivity and workforce disruptions. Additionally, inadequate childcare availability resulted in a reduction in state and local tax revenues of between $9 million and $14 million.

Recognizing that we cannot protect and expand access to childcare without protecting and expanding our early childhood workforce, our state’s last budget wisely included $15 million in funding to support childcare centers’ educator recruitment and retention efforts. The governor’s newly proposed budget eliminates this support for our centers entirely.

Compounding this error in judgment, the governor appears to have slashed approximately $12 million from the childcare scholarship fund, a lifeline that allows many low- and middle-income families in the Granite State to afford care. This scholarship program has seen a 46% increase in participation just over the past year due to enhanced eligibility we passed in the last biennium.

Rather than cutting families off at the knees at this critical juncture, we should be building on our newfound success to ensure young parents can continue contributing to our workforce and that children have access to high-quality early learning opportunities.

If we want New Hampshire to be a place where families flourish, let’s say ‘no’ to these shortsighted cuts and prioritize the workforce needs of our businesses, the well-being of our families and, above all, a great start in life for our kids. Not only is it the fiscally responsible path, it’s what our youngest Granite Staters deserve.