Advocate Spotlight: Cora-Lynn Hoppe

Cora-Lynn Hoppe, Executive Director of Rochester Child Care Center, is a passionate advocate for child care, childhood, and the environment. Her advocacy began from personal experience — child care played a pivotal role in her early years as a parent. Through child care, Cora-Lynn learned the importance of social-emotional learning and supporting both parents and children as individuals. It positively transformed her life, and now she’s committed to ensuring that other families have access to a diverse system of quality child care.

Reflecting on her collaboration with New Futures, Cora-Lynn said “My experience with New Futures has been life changing. I didn’t understand the power of advocacy until I saw it in action. New Futures is what helped save child care – without the work on child care by President Michele Merritt, Child and Family Policy Director Rebecca Woitkowski, and Community Engagement Coordinator Jillian Andrews Dubois, child care would not be where it is today.”

Recently, Cora-Lynn has been featured on a couple of New Hampshire podcasts including New Hampshire Children’s Trust’s New Hampshire Family NOW to discuss her parenting journey, and InDepthNH to speak about the challenges that Rochester Child Care Center faces as a nonprofit child care center in New Hampshire.

One standout advocacy memory for Cora-Lynn was the end of session celebration after the state budget was approved in 2023. A bill relating to enrollment-based child care that she had advocated for was passed, and seeing Senator Becky Whitley, who helped pass it, made Cora feel heard and supported by her state legislators. It was a bright spot during a challenging time in child care history.

Cora-Lynn’s advice to incoming and fellow advocates is simple yet profound: share your story. Cora-Lynn shares how powerful personal experiences are: “The story you share is like a seed that can grow into a forest. Your one experience could shape years of policy for families in more ways than you can imagine. I never felt more powerful in an experience than being an advocate for child care families, providers, and supports.” Cora-Lynn recognizes that it’s okay to be scared to advocate for issues you care about, but New Futures will help you through it.

Thank you, Cora-Lynn, for your commitment to increasing access to quality, affordable child care in New Hampshire. Your voice matters, and your impact is felt across the state.

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