Our Policy Agenda
Because of child care champions like YOU, we've never been closer to solving Vermont's child care crisis. But the work is not yet done. Get involved to help build on our child care progress.
Affordable, accessible, quality child care is essential to Vermont. It allows parents to work and prepares our youngest children for school. In the first year since Act 76 was passed, through new, long-term public investment, 1,000 child care spaces have been created and 90 programs have opened, closing gaps in child care deserts across the state. Act 76 has provided thousands of families access to reduced child care costs and has increased pay for early childhood educators, giving programs the ability to better recruit and retain staff and expand capacity. This is strengthening our economy, helping businesses grow, and making Vermont more affordable for working families.
In 2025, we must build on our child care progress. Our top policy priorities this year are to continue to make child care more affordable for families and to strengthen the early childhood education workforce.
2025 Policy Priorities
Continue Progress from Act 76:
- Ensure the long-term public investment created by Act 76 is funded so that it continues expanding child care access and lowering costs for Vermonters.
Increase Affordability and Access for Families:
- Expand access for families to the state’s child care tuition assistance program (CCFAP).
- Increase funding for child care programs, so they can keep growing capacity by recruiting and retaining more educators and staff.
Strengthen the Early Childhood Educator Workforce:
- Establish a professional state license to practice for early childhood educators to support the growth of a diverse, well-prepared, well-supported workforce.
- Implement new tools for recruiting and retaining early childhood educators to continue growing capacity and improving quality in the child care system.
- Expand career pathway programs.
Here’s what we have achieved together:
In 2021, the legislature passed H.171/Act 45, which laid the foundation for our future work to achieve equitable, high-quality, affordable child care for all Vermont children birth-five.
In 2022, the Legislature made incremental investments to stabilize the child care system, while continuing to work toward the goals outlined in H.171/Act 45. Investments included:
- Family affordability: $4.9 million increase to the Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) to support families and programs;
- Workforce retention and recruitment: Funding for retention bonuses for staff working in regulated child care programs, and to support high school students interested in starting a career in child care through pre-apprenticeships;
- Long term transformation: Language authorizing funding for the Child Care Financing Study outlined in H.171/Act 45;
- And more!
In 2023, Vermonters worked together with lawmakers to pass Act 76! This new law makes Vermont a national leader in child care with historic investments that will stabilize our child care sector; provide access to affordable, quality child care for thousands of Vermont kids and their families who need it; and overall help make Vermont a more affordable place to live.
In 2024, we worked with policymakers to continue improving our child care system, including allocating funding for Act 76 and ongoing child care supports in the State Fiscal Year 2025 Budget.
And we’re not done yet.
Act 76 is proof that solving the child care crisis is within our reach. Together, we can ensure that:
- All Vermont families who need it have access to affordable, quality child care.
- Families spend no more than 10% of their household income on child care.
- Every child has access to skilled, well-prepared, and professionally compensated early childhood educators.
So let’s take a moment to celebrate the amazing victories we achieved together, and then let’s ready to take action and ensure a brighter future for our communities.
Click HERE to learn more about how your business or organization can endorse Vermont’s Child Care Campaign.