Shaheen Continues “Affordability Action Tour,” Highlights Federal Funding She Secured for Education Infrastructure Renovations in Croydon and the Well Collaborative in Claremont

(Claremont, NH) – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) highlighted her efforts to lower costs and improve access to everyday essentials with visits to the Croydon Village School and the Well Collaborative’s Entrepreneurial Center in Claremont. Both are the most recent stops on Shaheen’s ongoing “Affordability Action Tour,”which launchedlast August to learn from Granite Staters about what is needed to tackle the rising costs communities across New Hampshire are facing.
Photos from today’s events can befound HERE.
Shaheen began the day at the Croydon Village School, where she learned about planned renovations to upgrade their one-room schoolhouse, known as “Little Red.” Shaheensecured $1,176,000 in Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS)for the project in thebipartisan Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 government funding legislation that was signed into law earlier this year. Built in 1780, the “Little Red” is one of only two continuously operating one-room schoolhouses in the United States. The funding secured by Shaheen will be used to update the schoolhouse and improve student safety and security.
“The one-room ‘Little Red’ schoolhouse is beloved by the Croydon community and one of the many historic sites that make New Hampshire so special,”said Senator Shaheen.“With students across our state confronting the Trump Administration’s reckless cuts to New Hampshire education programs, I was proud to secure federal dollars that will fund critical infrastructure upgrades to the schoolhouse—improving education access and preserving a staple of this community for years to come.”
Senator Shaheen has long championed efforts to expand education access, especially amid the Trump Administration’s efforts to slash critical education funding in the Granite State. In September, Shaheen led the New Hampshire Congressional delegation in calling on the U.S. Department of Education torestore Congressionally approvedfunding for the Education Alliance for New Hampshire’s Statewide Family Engagement Center grant, TRIO grants for the University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Talent Search and McNair programs and the state’sGaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs(GEAR UP).
Later, Shaheen travelled to the First Congregational Church in Claremont to tour the Well Collaborative’s Entrepreneurial Center and meet with local Claremont officials. Shaheen received updates on a project that will transform the historic church into a community hub that will offer child care, a commercial kitchen and a public meeting space. The renovations will deliver relief to working families, support community programs and strengthen Claremont’s local economy. The transformation project received a$821,353.60 Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) grantthrough its Catalyst Program.
“Nonprofit organizations like the Well Collaborative do essential work to strengthen the fabric of New Hampshire communities, support hardworking families and boost local economies across our state,”saidSenator Shaheen. “It was great to see firsthand how NBRC federal funding I helped deliver is being used to revitalize the Claremont community and, most importantly, expand child care access and lower costs.”
Senator Shaheenleads effortsto support the work of NBRC and its Catalyst program, which supports a broad range of economic development initiatives in New Hampshire, including critical projects to expand access to child care and lower costs. As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Shaheen helped secure a $1.5 million increase in funding for the NBRC in the Fiscal Year 2026 government funding legislation.
Shaheen has remained a firm advocate of quality, affordable child care. Earlier this year, Shaheen secured key priorities in the bipartisanDepartments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations,including $8.8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant and $1.19 billion for TRIO programs, in opposition to its proposed elimination in the President’s budget. Shaheen is a vocal opponent of the Trump Administration’sattacks on Head Start,and has introduced legislation to respond to the nation’s child care shortage, including her signature, bipartisanExpanding Child Care for Military Families Act.
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