OPINION: Vermont benefits when we strengthen our commitment to child care

January 26, 2026  |  By Sharron Harrington and Emilie Tenenebaum

Across political lines and communities, Vermonters agree: young families should be able to afford to live and work here. The good news is, our investments in child care are moving us toward this shared vision.

Early childhood connects to many of Vermont’s biggest policy challenges, from affordability to school readiness to housing. Since 2023, Vermont’s bold investments in child care access and affordability have begun to reshape what’s possible. 

More than 5,000 additional children and their families have accessed tuition assistance to help pay for child care. Over 100 new child care programs have opened, creating 1,700 new spaces for children and 400 new early childhood educator jobs. 

Parents tell us these changes have helped them afford to stay in Vermont, participate in the workforce, and start or grow their family. Investing in child care delivers results that every Vermont policymaker wants and that Vermonters deserve.

It’s essential that lawmakers stay committed to investments proven to work. To put it bluntly: while our momentum is real, continued progress is not guaranteed unless our state remains committed to child care. 

That’s why in 2026, we are focused on the following policy priorities: protecting the child care funding driving Vermont’s success; strengthening our early childhood educator workforce; increasing child care access and affordability; and fixing delays in fingerprinting and background checks, which are critical for safety and staffing. 

Together, our organizations represent over a decade of statewide coalition building. Our recommendations come from ongoing engagement with families, early childhood educators, employers, and partners.

Protect funding committed to child care

First and foremost, we must protect the funding driving these systems-level improvements. Act 76 created over $100 million in long-term public investment, which was supported by Vermont businesses and citizens because they recognize that affordable, quality child care is one of the smartest investments we can make as a state. The numbers show it’s paying off. Last session, lawmakers backed up their commitment to funding child care. As lawmakers craft the budget for fiscal year 2027, this funding must stay fully committed to its intended purpose. Funding for child care is a promise to families and employers, and must not be diverted.

Strengthen early childhood education workforce

The continued success of our child care commitment depends on strengthening and growing our early childhood educator workforce. Expanding access for children only happens when there are enough qualified early childhood educators to care for them. The best way to do this is to establish professional recognition for early childhood educators. The Early Childhood Educator Profession Bill (introduced as S.206) is workforce-informed, workforce-strengthening legislation that has our full support.

This bill creates professional recognition for more than 6,500 educators working in child care programs outside our public schools. It addresses regulatory gaps and creates a transparent, supportive system for parents, educators, hiring programs, and the public. This legislation connects educators’ accountability and compensation to their qualifications—just like any other profession.

Bottom line: Children have better outcomes in school and beyond when their earliest experiences are supported by a qualified early childhood educator. This bill professionalizes a workforce our state cannot function without, and it does so while supporting, rather than displacing, the talented educators already doing the work. We strongly urge lawmakers to pass the Early Childhood Educator Profession Bill this year.

Increase access and affordability

As we work toward accessible, affordable, quality child care for every family that needs it, we’ll continue to advocate for improvements. Right now, too many families who qualify for tuition assistance are still unaware they are entitled to this benefit. For some families earning more than the tuition assistance threshold, affordable child care remains out of reach.

Meanwhile, measures improving child care quality are working. Programs helping early childhood educators earn credentials and degrees are extremely popular; training, coaching, and targeted supports are improving child care quality statewide. 

These can expand. Lawmakers must continue to increase access, lower costs, improve quality, and recruit and retain educators—especially in rural regions and for families with unique needs, like nonstandard work hours.

Fix Vermont’s fingerprint and background check delays

Child safety depends on efficient, thorough criminal background checks for anyone working in child care. We need to fix Vermont’s fingerprint and background-check delays.

This safety measure is essential, and delays—up to seven weeks—worsen staffing shortages across child care and afterschool programs. We support the budget request from multiple state agencies to resolve this backlog. This is a quick, effective measure to help stabilize child care staffing.

Vermont’s commitment to child care is a source of statewide pride. We must protect and strengthen that commitment: keep growing child care programs, keep strengthening our early childhood educator workforce, and keep improving outcomes for children, families, and our economy. Vermont’s future depends on what we do next.

Sharron Harrington is the executive director for the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children. Emilie Tenenbaum is the executive director of Let’s Grow Kids Action Network.