April 27, 2023

The meeting was called to order at 8:01 a.m.

General Reminders/Notes

·       Leadership is continuing to thinking about conducting tours throughout the state for members to learn about opportunities in anticipation of bills next year

·       Primary focus for today is childcare discussions with four speakers

Aly Richards, Let’s Grow Kids

·       Sharing high level overview today of the work happening related to childcare and their work

·       Let’s Grow Kids is a campaign for high quality and affordable childcare in Vermont

o   3 out of 5 families do not have access to childcare (before pandemic)

o   The median pay for childcare providers is $14/hour without benefits

·       Primary points to keep in mind:

o   Childcare programs are about to close in mass if something is changed

o   1/3 of programs are not meeting payroll

o   We are in a true moment of urgency

·       H.171 was put in motion

·       Largest in the country leading forward on childcare

Chairwoman Wood

·       The committee has been working on this bill for quite some time with iterations

·       The bill is grounded on what is best for children and families in Vermont

·       4-5 main areas of this bill:

o   Access

o   Affordability

o   Workforce

o   Equity

·       Proposing a full week/full day PreK in schools which is a focus on age 4 for this phase – would go into effect July 2026

·       Working in the implementation plan – these changes cannot happen overnight

·       $150 million investment on the future of Vermont

·       Includes a 38% base rate increase to providers

·       Addressing areas of federal poverty levels and copays

·       A lot moving on this bill – just a few of these main points

Jay Nichols, Principals Association

·       Reiterating strong need for childcare in Vermont but encouraging others to not forget about public schools in these discussions

·       Currently preschools do not count as full-time students

·       Encouraging these students to be included in the count now

·       Also reviewing options for the rural areas that don’t have the space for these 4 y/o full time increases

Janet McLaughlin, Department of Children & Families

·       Gave a high-level overview of what the Governor is proposing this year for childcare

·       $56 million in childcare investment

·       Fully recognizes the need for childcare

·       The need to expand accessibility and school age capacity building

·       A slide that was shared with members will be send to Representative Priestley to share

Other comments/questions were addressed to the speakers including teacher salaries, clarity on school funding, etc.

Final Comments

·       Aly shared that this bill is a direction for capacity – addressing the tremendous need on budget and workforce challenges

·       A reminder that these discussions are a forum for learning and asking questions.

·       This bill will continue to shape and forum

·       Additional questions can be directed offline – reach out to leadership if any follow up questions need to be addressed