NH bill would allow retired grandparents to get child care funds

The New Hampshire Senate passed Senate Bill 608 to let retired grandparents at federal retirement age qualify for the Child Care Scholarship Program without having to re-enter the workforce. The bill now moves to the House for a hearing in the coming months.

The New Hampshire Senate voted Jan. 29 to pass Senate Bill 608, which would change eligibility for the state Child Care Scholarship Program. The proposal would remove the work-or-school requirement for kinship caregivers who are retired and at the federal retirement age. Supporters say retired relatives often take custody of children and still need help paying for child care. The bill also asks the state to seek federal guidance about adding family care support services to certain waiver programs. Key facts: - The Child Care Scholarship Program pays a portion of child care tuition directly to providers for eligible families. - Senate Bill 608 would allow retired kinship caregivers at federal retirement age to qualify without re-entering the workforce. - The Senate Health and Human Services committee approved the bill unanimously, 5-0, and the Senate passed it on the consent calendar. - The measure would require the state to ask the federal government whether family care support services are allowable under specific waiver programs. - Testimony during hearings included grandparents who described taking custody of children and paying child care costs while retired. - Massachusetts and Maine already allow retired grandparents to be eligible for similar state child care assistance programs. Summary: If enacted, the bill would broaden who can receive child care scholarship funds to include certain retired kinship caregivers, which supporters say would help grandparents and other relatives who have custody. The bill now goes to the New Hampshire House of Representatives, which will hold a hearing in the coming months.