State would have offered lessons to 4- and 5-year-olds before kindergarten if funded

The Education Department would have offered a statewide digital learning program. It would have served New Hampshire children ages 4 and 5 who were not in kindergarten, at home or in child care centers. The department would have offered the program only to the extent lawmakers provided funding. The proposal would have set aside $1, while the fiscal note estimated a minimum yearly cost of $600,000. The proposal would have taken effect July 1, 2025; the $1 would have covered the year ending June 30, 2026.

State health officials would have told certain approved aid applicants about the program. The notice would have gone to approved applicants for Financial Assistance to Needy Families or WIC nutrition aid. Applicants had to report at least one child age 4 or 5. Lessons would have been for children not yet in kindergarten and would have depended on funding. The proposed notice requirement would have taken effect July 1, 2025.