NH · NH Quality Rating Improvement System (NHCIS)
New Hampshire — CDA & ECE Workforce Credentials
New Hampshire recognizes CDA toward the NH Early Childhood Credential; the state has no universal pre-K, so CDA is dominant in licensed child care.
Data current as of April 2026.
CDA acceptance & requirements
- Lead teacher requirements: New Hampshire DHHS Bureau of Child Development child care licensing accepts CDA among lead-teacher qualifications. CDA recognized as prior learning toward the NH Early Childhood Credential.
- Assistant teacher requirements: Minimum age 18, HS diploma/GED, plus required orientation and ongoing PD.
- Director requirements: Higher career-framework placement + administrative coursework + experience.
- State-funded pre-K: New Hampshire does not operate a state-funded universal pre-K (one of the few remaining states); pre-K services delivered through Head Start, public-school IDEA Part B 619, and licensed child care.
- QRIS: New Hampshire operates the NH Quality Rating Improvement System (NHCIS) quality recognition framework.
- T.E.A.C.H. & apprenticeship: T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® New Hampshire is administered through Child Care Aware of New Hampshire.
State-specific ECE workforce credentials
- NH Early Childhood Credential — administered by NH Endowment for Health partners and recognized by DHHS. Multi-tier career framework recognizing training, CDA, AA, BA.
- NH Department of Education — Early Childhood Education certification (B-Grade 3) for public-school pre-K; BA + state EPP.
Notable state context
NH's lack of state-funded universal pre-K means the NH Early Childhood Credential and CDA are the dominant workforce-credentialing markers in the licensed child care sector. NHCIS is the operational QRIS-equivalent.