CONSUMER RESOURCES

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Below is a list of consumer resources to share with families at your program. The NH DHHS also has a separate, easy to use website to apply for most of the resources listed below called: NH EASY. 

Child Care Resources

 

  • Child Care Aware of America and Child Care Aware of NH

    The Child Care Aware website offers many resources for families and child care providers. Resources like: webinars, publications, refugee family resources, and so much more. The NH Child Care Aware website offers more state specific information and will soon be home to information regarding all the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) centers around the state.

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  • Child Care Licensing
    The Child Care Licensing Unit, part of the NH DHHS, has information regarding rules and regulations surrounding licensing in NH and also provides technical assistance and consultation.
     

  • NH Children’s Trust

    The Children’s Trust’s main goal is to address and eliminate child abuse. They also offer: information about Family Resource Centers in NH, community education, and training for child care providers.

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  • Spark NH

    Spark NH’s website provides Consumer Education about child development, health and safety, what to look for in a quality early child care program, and many other resources.

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  • 2-1-1 New Hampshire

    Dial 211 from any phone during working hours to receive help finding resources around the state. Their website offers a similar service, but a phone call may be more effective in answering questions you have about specific resources.
     

NCASE (National Center on Afterschool and Summer Enrichment)
School Age Consumer Education Toolkit

 

  • Physical Health and Development

    Out-of-school time programs offer unique opportunities to support school-age children’s physical health, wellness, and development, all of which are important for academic outcomes.

  • Social and Emotional Health and Development
    Out-of-school time programs contribute to children’s social and emotional development. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines social and emotional learning as the process through which children and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to: understand and manage their emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Sharing research on social and emotional learning with providers and families and giving them hands-on tools ensures that they can be effective partners in helping youth develop healthy social and emotional skills.

  • Parent and Family Engagement
    Parent and family engagement is a key factor in promoting school-age children’s learning and growth across the range of contexts in which they learn—in school, at home, and in out-of-school time settings. School-age child care and program providers can engage families in a variety of ways to help them understand what their children are learning and doing and how they can support that learning at home.

    • Increasing Family and Parent Engagement in After-School: This After School Corporation resource outlines a variety of ways that afterschool programs can engage families through helpful tips, sample forms and templates, along with examples of New York City-area afterschool programs’ family engagement strategies.

    • K–12 Student Success: Out-of-School Time Initiative, Family Engagement—A Learning Brief: This learning brief by the Oregon Community Foundation highlights how the state’s K–12 Student Success: Out-of-School Time Initiative has engaged families of middle-school students across the initiative’s 21 sites.

    • Bringing Families into Out-of-School Time Learning: This practitioner-focused article provides place-based examples of how out-of-school time programs have engaged families in children’s learning experiences and evaluated their own family engagement efforts. The article includes recommendations that can be implemented by all types of out-of-school time programs.

    • Expanded Learning Opportunities: Parent/Family Engagement: This resource highlights core elements of successful family engagement strategies for school-age children in out-of-school time settings, based on Joyce Epstein’s National Network of Partnership Schools family engagement model.

    • Involving Families in Out-of-School Time Programs: This resource illustrates different types of family engagement activities appropriate for out-of-school time settings and offers concrete steps that programs can take to promote family engagement.
       

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Nutrition, Health & Wellness Resources

 

  • Childhood Obesity Prevention

    The risks of being overweight or obese increase the risk of a number of serious medical conditions, including heart disease and stroke, high blood pressure, Type II diabetes, sleep apnea, respiratory problems and some cancers. The Foundation for Healthy Communities is committed to improving prevention and treatment services for childhood overweight not only in pediatric and family health care practices, but also in NH communities.
     

  • NH DHHS Obesity Prevention Program
    The Obesity Prevention Program is one of many state obesity prevention programs funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Collaborates with statewide partners to begin the implementation phase of the Healthy Eating, Active Living Initiative (HEAL) Action Plan, which was developed by partners across New Hampshire provides technical assistance to communities that implement HEAL initiatives.
     

  • Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP or Food stamps)
    Not only does the NH SNAP provide food stamps for those who are eligible, they also offer job training through the Food Stamp and Employment Training (FSET) program.
     

  • Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)

    WIC provides nutritious foods to pregnant women, new mothers, infants, and pre-school aged children, as well as nutrition education. The WIC website has an online pre-screening tool you can use to see if you qualify for the WIC program.

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  • NH Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

    The CHIP provides insurance to NH children under 19 years old. To find out if you or your family qualifies for this program click on the link above for a list of requirements.

     

  • NH Smiles Program
    The New Hampshire Smiles Program connects children on Medicaid to the dental services they need.
     

 

Cash/Financial Resources

 

  • Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

    TANF, sometimes known as FANF (Financial Assistance for Needy Families) provides cash assistance for families who qualify. If you are eligible for TANF, you are also eligible for: Medicaid, Children’s Medicaid, and Employment and Training programs.

     

  • Emergency Assistance (EA)

    EA is financial assistance that can be used for: sudden homelessness; lack of heat, hot water, or cooking fuel; or termination of another utility.