Young Granite Staters at the nexus of policy making

Child care and early education are the initial focus of a Stay Work Play initiative called NH Nexus to identify and address key issues facing young residents of New Hampshire

An organization committed to the long-term interests of young Granite Staters has embarked on a project to identify — and address through policymaking — key issues affecting that population’s ability to remain in the state.

Stay Work Play calls the initiative NH Nexus and is tackling child care and early education as its inaugural focus.

The organization says NH Nexus is designed as an annual series of events to tackle issues that could very well decide whether young people build careers and raise families here or choose to go to another state where their needs are better met.

The NH Nexus foundation is built on the idea of involving young people in the issues that affect them, not as an afterthought once policy and laws are in place, but from the get go, according to Corrine Breton, executive director of Stay Work Play.

“Young people are often invited into conversations after strategies have already been established,” said Breton. “NH Nexus starts from a different premise: that the people making decisions about where to live, whether to start families, how to balance careers, and what they want New Hampshire to become deserve to help shape the conversation earlier.”

Stay Work Play is a nonprofit organization with the mission of attracting and retaining young people in the Granite State through research, leadership development, community engagement, events and nonpartisan public policy advocacy. It was created in 2009 as a way to support recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force for the Recruitment and Retention of a Young Workforce established by then Gov. John Lynch the year before.

Creation of NH Nexus grew out of the results of a 2025 quality-of-life survey that identified both child care and affordable housing as the two top concerns among the Stay Work Play constituency, said Breton.

Why focus first on child care and early education? It isn’t just a parental issue, but a defining factor in New Hampshire’s future, according to Stay Work Play.

Indeed, studies and surveys consistently show that challenges of day care access, staffing and affordability are at the top — alongside housing — of the economic concerns among young people and families.

In trying to piece together New Hampshire’s population shifts in recent years, the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Carsey School of Public Policy delved into the reasons why people choose to leave the state. It said in an Aug. 18 study that 23% of New Hampshire residents are somewhat or very likely to leave the state in the next five years. It was higher, 54%, for younger and unmarried people.

The report noted that “migration decisions are influenced by a multitude of factors, so policy changes to improve housing cost and availability, child care, and the quality and cost of education might tip the balance and dissuade some from leaving.”

Sponsored by Delta Dental and the Couch Family Foundation, about 85 NH Nexus participants spent the day Aug. 10 at the Arts Alley in Concord discussing the myriad issues associated with child care and early education.

Parents talked about the challenges associated with balancing jobs and child care costs. They discussed the complexities families face when children require individualized developmental support.

The session focused on providers, how building a better system in New Hampshire means investing in compensation, professional development, career pathways, staffing and the resources educators need to serve children with a wide range of needs.

“Data tells us what’s happening,” Breton said. “But lived experience tells us why it matters and often points us toward solutions we wouldn’t otherwise see. We believe the people living these realities every day, especially young people, should be viewed as partners in designing what’s next.”

There has been some policymaking to improve the child care situation here.

The 2026 session of the state Legislature created the Child Day Care Creation Tax Credit Program for businesses starting in 2027.

Eligible businesses may claim a tax credit against the New Hampshire Business Profits Tax or Business Enterprise Tax. The credit will be equal to 50% of qualifying expenditures made to create a new licensed child care program, or expand an existing licensed program by at least 12 additional child care slots.

According to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute (NHFPI), qualifying expenditures may include costs associated with acquiring, constructing, renovating or expanding facilities, as well as certain operational expenses during the first two years of a new or expanded program. The law allows businesses to undertake these projects directly or through a third-party provider, allowing for flexibility.

During a ceremony in July to celebrate signing the legislation into law, Gov. Kelly Ayotte said, “Expanding access to child care is a critical part of our efforts to ensure New Hampshire remains the best place to live, work and raise a family.”

“With this new child care tax credit program, we’re encouraging our business community to be part of the solution to this pressing economic challenge in our state,” she added. “I thank members of the House and Senate from both parties who came together to make this a reality for Granite State families. By bringing everyone to the table, we’ll ensure working parents can access the child care they need and keep New Hampshire a beacon of economic opportunity.”

But there’s more to be done on the child care front for Stay Work Play.

The NH Nexus forum will be followed by what’s being called Policy & Pizza get-togethers throughout the state, starting off next month at Southern New Hampshire University, because, according to Breton, college students aren’t just thinking about career goals; they’re thinking about life goals, too.

“We need to address systematic issues earlier than what we had been focusing on,” said Breton. “On top of that, young people are paying attention, and they’re paying attention to headlines. They’re paying attention to what’s happening at the State House. They’re more connected now than ever, and that’s really influencing mindsets and choices.”

A further step is a reception with representatives and senators in February to review all the suggestions from the NH Nexus session and pizza gatherings and distill them into legislation for the 2027 session.

“What we end up doing with this information and with these stories is really just providing a different lens for lawmakers to create and move legislation forward that meets the needs of their residents,” said Breton.

“One thing that we are really mindful of is making sure that the perspective of young people are integrated into conversations at the State House,” she added.

The 2027 legislation will craft a new two-year state budget, also on the Stay Work Play radar.

“We really need our state budget to reflect the values of our young people and the needs of our young people, because if we pass by another biennium and have a slate of defunded institutions and programs, that’s just going to perpetuate this idea that New Hampshire is not YP (young people) friendly, and that is more damaging than anything else,” said Breton.

Stay Work Play serves the 18-to-40 age demographic in the state.

About 28% of the state’s population fits into that demographic, according to U.S. Census data. The bulk of the state’s population, 55%, are older than 40.

According to NHFPI, the bulk of the state’s population growth over the last few years has been people under the age of 45.