New Hampshire Families
Family structure has an impact on child development in New Hampshire.
- 46,000 children in New Hampshire live in single-parent households, which are linked to higher poverty rates. The toxic stress of growing up in poverty can have impacts on children's behavioral health outcomes.
- Six percent of households with children in New Hampshire speak a language other than English at home.
- For families with children under five, reading, singing, and eating dinner together are indicative of better childhood outcomes. In New Hampshire, 8.6 percent of families report never reading to their young children.
Parental education also plays a part in child outcomes.
- Parents educated beyond high school invest more in family health care, reducing the likelihood of adverse medical conditions despite differences in family income and health insurance (Rutgers, 2018).
- Over a 15-year span from 2005 to 2021, there has been a 16 percent increase in the number of households with parents who have college degrees.
- Nearly 38 percent of Granite State families are headed by a parent who holds only a high school diploma or GED. Nearly four percent of household heads did not graduate from high school.
Kinship Care
A growing number of children in New Hampshire are being raised by grandparents or other relatives. This is largely the result of our state's behavioral health crisis, leaving parents unable to care for their children. Long-term separation from parents is also an adverse childhood experience.
Adverse Childhood Experiences
37.6% of children in New Hampshire have experienced one or more adverse childhood experiences.
- Children and youth who live in nurturing families and safe, supportive communities generally have stronger personal connections, higher educational achievement, and better mental and behavioral health (AECF Data Center).
- One in 10 children in New Hampshire lives with an adult with a mental health or substance use disorder. This can have a negative affect on the child's well-being.
- 9.3 percent of families report that it is hard to cover the basics, like food or housing, on the family's income, causing toxic stress for children.
Solving problems through policy change.
In 2023, New Futures helped secure $4 million per year in state funding for Family Resource Centers (FRCs). New Hampshire's FRCs strengthen families by offering concrete support in times of need, building social connections, offering classes in parenting and child development, and mitigating adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
Community
Children are more likely to thrive in neighborhoods with strong schools, support services, and community engagement.
- Over 20 percent of families in New Hampshire report that they do not believe they live in safe neighborhoods.
- Only 33 percent of New Hampshire neighborhoods include parks, sidewalks, recreation centers, and libraries. One in 10 Granite State children lives in a neighborhood with none of these amenities.
- 17% of kids answered that they saw someone get physically attacked, beaten, stabbed, or shot in their neighborhood (2021 YRBS).
