Children in New Hampshire face serious challenges – 31,000 live in poverty,  17,000 have no health insurance, over 1,100 were victims of child abuse and neglect in 2008, and many do not have access to early care and education, quality child care, or after-school programs.

Every Child Matters in NH is working with other child advocacy organizations, child serving sites, health providers, senior groups, colleges, parents, grandparents and others, to help ensure that every child has  what he or she needs to grow up healthy, safe and well educated.

Below are some of the ways that Every Child Matters in NH works to ensure that children are a state and national priority. We can’t do it alone. We need you. Our kids need you. Together we can make sure that in New Hampshire, every child matters.

From community conversations to community parades, Every Child Matters in NH covers the state, raising awareness of the issues facing children and youth. From the State House to the White House, we work to ensure that children are a priority.

Please help us ensure that every child has what they need to start school ready to learn, feels safe and nurtured in their home, never goes to bed hungry, and has access to health care. Click on the tab to the right to become a NH Volunteer.

Home Visiting New Hampshire (HVNH) is a preventive program that provides health, education, support and linkages to other community services for Medicaid-eligible pregnant women and their families in their homes. Eighteen community-based HVNH programs across the state serve over 700 families per year. Together families and home visitors talk about concerns such as stopping smoking, depression and access to reproductive healthcare. Families get support in their roles as their child's first and best teacher and learn ways to help their child grow and learn.

The eighteen community-based agencies across New Hampshire provide HVNH services to Medicaid-eligible pregnant women and Medicaid-eligible families with children up to the age of one.

Particular emphasis is placed on:

• Adolescents who are pregnant or are new moms

• Women under age 25 who are pregnant or who are new moms

• Women pregnant with their first child

• Women at risk for having problems during their pregnancy

• Pregnant women or mothers with substance abuse problems

• Families at risk for child abuse and neglect

Child Abuse and Neglect

• In 2008, 1,192 New Hampshire children were victims of child abuse and neglect.
• Child abuse and neglect costs America $109.1 billion a year and contributes to poverty, crime, and alcohol and drug abuse.
• For every dollar spent by the federal government in subsidies for the out-of-home placement of children, 14 cents is spent on prevention and protective services.
• From 2005 to 2009, Congress cut federal funding to states to treat and protect abused and neglected children by 17%.