Affordable Daycare in New Hampshire
Full-time care at a center costs a median of $286 a week for a baby and $238 for a preschooler in the middle New Hampshire county (2022). Families who qualify can get help paying through New Hampshire's child care assistance program, and the daycares listed here accept it.
- daycares that accept child care assistance listed
- 26
- towns
- 20
- towns have their own affordable daycare page
- 2
- of all New Hampshire daycares
- 5%
Map of New Hampshire: each dot is a town with daycares that accept child care assistance, sized by how many are listed
Cost and help paying
What daycare costs in New Hampshire, and help paying for it
- Infant care at a center, per week, in the middle New Hampshire county (2022)
- $286
- The median of 10 county medians, from $269 in the lowest county to $308 in the highest.
- Preschool-age care at a center, per week, in the middle New Hampshire county (2022)
- $238
- The median of 10 county medians, from $224 in the lowest county to $256 in the highest.
- Head Start or Early Head Start centers in New Hampshire
- 23
- Free for children from birth to 5 in families who qualify, by income or because they receive public assistance.
New Hampshire
Largest towns for affordable daycare in New Hampshire
Programs
Programs in New Hampshire
Counts come from each daycare's name and what it says it offers; the state license list is not on DaycarePal yet. A daycare without a tag may still offer the program; ask.
| Program | Listed |
|---|---|
| All daycares | 506 |
| Take infants | 112 |
| Child care centers | 495 |
| Accept subsidy | 26 |
| In-home daycares | 11 |
| Christian & church daycares | 16 |
| Montessori schools | 34 |
| Preschools & pre-K | 166 |
| Early morning daycare | 90 |
| Part-time daycare | 55 |
| Head Start | 23 |
The New Hampshire license list
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing Unit licenses daycares in New Hampshire. The New Hampshire license list is not on DaycarePal yet.
- Listings
- From public business listings: the name, address, phone, website and hours each business publishes
- License
- No license record is matched to these listings yet; that does not mean a daycare is unlicensed
- Inspections
- Not on these listings; check the state's own search
Before you enroll
Paying for daycare in New Hampshire
- 1
Apply for assistance first
Your state decides who qualifies and how much it pays. Apply through the state's child care assistance office before you choose a daycare.
- 2
Ask about the copayment
Most families pay a share of the cost. Ask the daycare whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much.
- 3
Ask about open subsidy spots
Some daycares cap how many children on assistance they take. Ask whether a spot is open now.
- 4
Check the license record
Open a listing for its state license and, where the state publishes it, the inspection record.
New Hampshire
Cost, inspections and ratios in New Hampshire
A to Z
All 20 New Hampshire towns with affordable daycare, A to Z
B1 town
- Belmont1 accept assistance
C1 town
- Canterbury1 accept assistance
E1 town
- Epping1 accept assistance
L3 towns
- Laconia1 accept assistance
- Lebanon1 accept assistance
- Londonderry1 accept assistance
M2 towns
- Manchester3 accept assistance
- Merrimack2 accept assistance
N1 town
- Nashua3 accept assistance
P2 towns
- Peterborough1 accept assistance
- Plymouth1 accept assistance
S1 town
- Seabrook1 accept assistance
W2 towns
- West Lebanon1 accept assistance
- Wilton1 accept assistance
No town on this list matches. Check the spelling, or search by ZIP code above.
Nearby
Nearby states
Questions
Questions about affordable daycare in New Hampshire
How many daycares that accept child care assistance are in New Hampshire?
26 daycares that accept child care assistance are listed in 20 New Hampshire towns. Accepting assistance says nothing about a daycare's own prices. A daycare without this tag may still accept assistance; ask.
Which New Hampshire town has the most daycares that accept child care assistance?
Manchester, with 3 listed. Next are Nashua (3) and Keene (2).
How do I apply for child care assistance in New Hampshire?
Apply through New Hampshire's child care assistance program, run by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Income limits change each year, so check the current limits on the state's site.
Is there free daycare?
Some families can get it. Head Start and Early Head Start are free for children from families who qualify, and some states waive the family's share of the cost for the lowest incomes. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.
Does a daycare that accepts assistance cost more?
Not by itself. Accepting assistance means the daycare takes payments from the state program; its own prices vary like any daycare's. Ask whether it charges more than the state pays, and how much you would pay.
How does child care assistance work?
Each state runs a child care assistance program, paid for in part by the federal Child Care and Development Fund. Families who qualify by income, and usually by working, looking for work or going to school, get help paying a daycare that accepts it; the help is often called a voucher or subsidy. Most families pay a share called a copayment, set by the state. Apply through the New Hampshire child care assistance office.
Can I get free daycare?
Some families can. States may waive the copayment for families with the lowest incomes, and Head Start and Early Head Start are free for families who qualify. Ask your state's child care assistance office what you qualify for.
Who licenses daycares in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing Unit licenses daycares in New Hampshire. Its license list is not on DaycarePal yet, so the listings here come from public business listings and show no license or inspection record. Use the state's own search, linked on this page, to check a daycare's license.