CHILDREN 

Funded Partner Programs

Monadnock Region Afterschool Collective

• Served 1,217 youth in 12 towns in 2024
• 91% of regular afterschool program attendees reported feeling safe, supported, and a sense of belonging
• 746 (92%) of parents reported that having a child enrolled in the program has improved the family's financial stability

The Collective includes the following programs:

• ACCESS Winchester Afterschool Program
• Hinsdale Afterschool Program
• Keene Family YMCA School's Out Program (plus Chesterfield site)
• Project Keep (at Symonds, Fuller, and Franklin Schools in Keene)
• Hillsboro-Deering Before and Afterschool Program
• Beyond the Bell (at Mt. Caesar, Cutler School, and Monadnock Middle School in Swanzey, Troy Elementary, and Emerson Elementary in Fitzwilliam)

Monadnock Alliance for Families (Impact Monadnock)

• Served 2,215 children and families in 36 towns in 2024
• 694 families received home visiting services  
• 318 families (46%) were new home visiting clients in 2024

The Collective includes the following organizations:

• Rise for baby and family
• Monadnock Family Services
• The River Center
• The Grapevine
• Healthy Starts - Home Healthcare, Hospice, and Community Services

SCS Dental Program (Head Start) 

• 70 children in 13 towns received dental screenings in 2024
• 100% of families were assisted in establishing both primary dental and medical homes.
• Partnered with Cheshire Smiles to manage dental services

Grant Funded Programs

Monadnock Community Pyramid Model (Childcare Expansion Grant )

The Monadnock Community Pyramid Model (MPCM) officially launched in 2023 at 7 early learning centers in the Monadnock Region.

• In a survey of program staff at 7 centers:
  • 74% of respondents reported that they had attended a professional learning community otr MCPM training in 2024
  • 99% of respondents reported that children are demonstrating improved social-emotional skills
  • 100% reported that they feel more prepared and have strategies they can use, and are more confident in their classrooms

Click here for a full report of the accomplishments and highlights of the MCPM.

• Centers include the Monadnock Region
  • Keene Day Care Center
  • The Children's Learning Center (TCLC) at Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth Hitchcock (CMC/DH)
  • CDC at Keene State College (KSC) Child Development Center
  • Rise for baby and family
  • Keene Family YMCA
  • Walpole Village School
  • Home Away from Home in Walpole

Early Childhood Region 1 Coalition 

Community Building Initiatives

Impact Monadnock Business Ambassadors

StartSmart: Birth Gifts with a Purpose (Impact Monadnock)

A project of the Impact Monadnock Business Ambassadors, the StartSmart: Birth Gifts with a Purpose program offers individuals the opportunity to welcome a new baby with a gift that can help that child's brain development AND also contributes to the enrollment of a local, at-risk child in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. This means more books for local kids! 

• Since 2018, 196 baby gifts have been purchased, providing new babies and parents a Smart Start for the future. 
• In 2024, Mascoma Bank gave a $5,000 grant to support providing 50 StartSmart gift packages to be distributed to new families through area childcare centers.

Advocacy for Childcare

EDUCATION

Grant Funded Programs

Childcare Expansion Educational Pathways for Teachers (CCE Grant)

Professional Development for Early Childhood Professionals (ECR1)

• 22 targeted training sessions offered in the first half of 2023
• Topics ranged from Toilet Training, Feeding Children, Trauma, Pyramid Model, Nature-Based Playgroups, Sleep, and Infant Toddler Best Practices.
• 93 individuals within the region benefited

Building Early Childhood Supports in Rural NH Libraries** (ECR 1)

• Utilizing a mix of face-to-face and virtual resources, this project focuses on enhancing access to resources related to healthy child development.

Community Building Initiatives

Advocacy

Community Awareness Building

FINANCIAL STABILITY

Funded Partner Programs

Monadnock Food Pantries Collective

• Served 23 towns and 44,664 visits to the pantries in 2024
• Served 687,227 meal equivalents*
• The Collective continues to develop a robust food-sharing system

*meal equivalents are calculated on a weight measurement of 1.2 lbs per meal. For example, in 2024, The Community Kitchen alone provided 518,389 lbs of food, translating to roughly 427,824 meals.

The Collective includes the following pantries:

• The Community Kitchen (Keene)
• Joan’s Pantry (Chesterfield)
• The Federated Church Food Pantry (Marlborough)
• Helping Hands of Troy
• Jaffrey Food Pantry
• Kidz Cupboard (Marlborough)
• Rindge Food Pantry
• St Vincent de Paul Society

Cheshire County Emergency Housing Collaborative

• Served 305 people in 16 towns in 2024
• 19% of clients participated in self-improvement and educational opportunities
• Shelters operated at 100% capacity for much of the year, reducing the number of clients that could be housed.

The Collaborative includes the following organizations:

• Southwestern Community Services
• Hundred Nights
• Monadnock Center for Violence Prevention

Quality Child Care Centers

• 193 children in 30 towns in 2024
• Provided tuition assistance to families in need
• Expanded training opportunities for staff

Childcare Centers include:

• Keene Day Care Center, Inc
• Monadnock Community Early Learning Center
• Walpole Village School
• Winchester Learning Center

Monadnock Resource Alliance

• Over 50 businesses, developers, municipalities, environmentalists, and nonprofits convened in October to launch the Monadnock Resource Alliance Housing Collaborative; aimed at taking coordinated action to solve our region’s housing crisis.

Grant Funded Programs

Emergency Food and Shelter Program

The Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) was created on March 24, 1983, under the "Jobs Stimulus Bill," Public Law 98-8. A National Board, chaired by FEMA, oversees the program with representatives from the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities USA, and United Way Worldwide. MUW in Cheshire County links EFSP and local food and shelter programs, overseeing fund allocation determined by the National Board.

Community Building Initiatives

211

211NH call and referral data in 2023 for the Monadnock Region

• 3,444 calls 
• 6,614 referrals for services including:
  • Homelessness
  • SUD & Doorway
  • Tax Prep Assistance
  • Housing
  • Utilities
  • Legal Services
  • Public Assistance
  • Food
  • Health Support Services
  • Mental Health

My Free Taxes

• 23 individual households received $22,088 in refunds through IRS filings with MyFreeTaxes.

SingleCare Prescription Drug Savings Program

• 903 Cheshire County residents saved $159,381 using SingleCare for prescription drugs in 2023

Advocacy for Child Tax Credit