With crushing costs and too-few slots, child care strain grows for New Hampshire families

Tara Ryan was only seven weeks pregnant with her first child when she secured slots on four child care waitlists. Even then, her daughter didn’t get a full-time space until she was 1.

Now expecting a son through in vitro fertilization, Ryan said the first to know about her embryo transfer was the child care center, “so that we could secure a child care spot for him” — more than a year out from when they’ll need it. The price tag to have both children at the facility is over $50,000, though they’re sitting on waitlists at two less-expensive options.