The Vermont Business Roundtable (VBR), a nonpartisan organization of Vermont CEOs, published a report examining the return on investment Vermont could realize by increasing public funding for high-quality early care and learning programs for children birth to five.
Using Vermont-specific data, researchers found that every dollar invested early would yield a $3.08 return. The 2017 report, Vermont’s Early Care and Learning Dividend, follows up on recent research from Vermont’s Blue Ribbon Commission for Affordable Child Care which found that nearly 80% of Vermont’s infants and toddlers who were likely to need child care did not have access to high-quality regulated programs. The Commission recommended the state create an equitable, affordable, and high-quality early care and education system available to all children birth to five. The report analyzes the costs and benefits of implementing this recommendation, finding that the net benefit to the state would be $1.3 billion. Read the full report or the one-page summary to learn more.
Update: In 2019, Governor Scott approved increased investments in the state’s child care system. The approximately $5.8 million increase in Vermont’s Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) will lift rates for 2,000 families. Additionally, Act 72 makes several one-time investments to support the early care and learning workforce. This includes $300,000 in workforce supports for individuals employed in a regulated privately-operated center-based child care program or family child care home, and $300,000 to facilitate the implementation of nationally accredited Child Development Associate Credential (CDA) curriculum in career technical centers throughout the state.
Updated September 2019
