New Hampshire’s Childcare Quality Program Has Had No Contract Support Since 2025
New Hampshire’s Executive Council has left a $1.2 million federal childcare contract unapproved, stranding the state’s Granite Steps for Quality program without professional development support or consistent funding for over a year.
Granite Steps for Quality is New Hampshire’s version of a national childcare quality recognition system. It pays incentives to childcare providers who meet quality benchmarks and coordinates coaching for programs that serve children with special needs.
$1.2 million in federal funding allocated to Pyramid Model Consortium for professional development services to NH childcare providers, blocked since September 2025
The contract at the center of the dispute would pay Pyramid Model Consortium, which has worked with the state since 2022, to administer a larger share of the Granite Steps for Quality program. The May 2026 version of the contract was actually $200,000 cheaper than the version tabled in September 2025, and it included additional services such as free online learning modules.
The Executive Council Blocked the Contract Without Hearing the Full Picture
At an Executive Council session on May 6, 2026, Councilor John Stephen objected to the contract, saying he was told it was “not the best use of funds” compared to the childcare workforce grant program. Councilor David Wheeler also objected.
Department of Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Weaver and her colleagues did not tell the council that the contract had already been tabled once in September 2025. They also did not fully explain that approving the contract would consolidate coaching resources for Granite Steps for Quality, fund a program that has lacked stable support for years, and keep New Hampshire in compliance with federal childcare subsidy law.
That last point matters. Without the contract, the state risks falling out of compliance with federal childcare subsidy regulations, which could affect the federal funding that childcare providers depend on to operate.
The workforce grant program that Stephen preferred as an alternative is not a viable substitute. The federal government ruled in 2026 that it cannot be funded with Temporary Assistance for Needy Families dollars, leaving it without a funding source entirely.
Childcare Providers Are Caught in the Middle
New Hampshire childcare providers are now operating without the coaching and professional development infrastructure that Granite Steps for Quality is supposed to provide. The program has lacked consistent funding and service support for years, and the stalled contract extends that instability.
The Executive Council must either approve a renegotiated contract or the state must redesign how it delivers quality support to childcare providers. Neither option has a clear timeline.
What You Can Do Now
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Call your Executive Councilor directly. The five-member Executive Council votes on contracts like this one. Find your district and councilor’s contact at sos.nh.gov/executive-council. Tell them to approve a renegotiated Granite Steps for Quality contract before NH falls out of federal compliance.
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Contact the NH Department of Health and Human Services. The Bureau of Child Development and Head Start Collaboration administers Granite Steps for Quality. Call DHHS at (603) 271-9700 and ask for a public update on the contract timeline and a plan to restore program support to providers.
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Reach your state legislators on the Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee. Ask them to hold an oversight hearing on the contract failure and the workforce grant funding gap. Find your legislators at gencourt.state.nh.us.
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Contact the NH Child Care Resource and Referral Network at nhccrr.org to find out which local providers have lost coaching access and ask how the gap is being managed. This information will strengthen any legislative contact you make.
Sources
New Hampshire Bulletin: How a Failed Contract Could Upend NH’s Entire Childcare Quality System
New Hampshire Executive Council: Member Directory and Meeting Schedule
Child Care and Development Fund: Federal Childcare Subsidy Compliance Requirements
Pyramid Model Consortium: Professional Development Framework for Early Childhood Programs
Human: Granite Steps for Quality Program Overview, NH DHHS Bureau of Child Development