by Heather Duhamel and Sharron Harrington
When Vermont’s legislature passed Act 76 in May 2023, it represented a major step toward fully funding our state’s child care system as a public good. While the law takes effect, our organizations and others are working in partnership to build up the well-prepared early childhood education workforce Vermont needs. Public investment, plus programs and resources that support access to education and training, make a career in early childhood education more attractive than ever before.
Act 76 promises a $125 million annual investment in Vermont’s child care system. The law is being implemented in stages: over 2024, child care programs, families, educators, and businesses will all experience relief. The part that took effect in January flowed funds to programs to meet needs like staff compensation, facility repairs and learning materials. In April, more families will become eligible for tuition relief; in October, eligibility criteria will expand again.
As each piece of the new law takes effect, it supports a high-quality child care system that is more affordable and easier for families to access. To meet the demand for care, Vermont needs more early childhood educators. The successful implementation of Act 76 relies on Vermont preparing a steady influx of early childhood educators to enter our workforce.
Organizations like the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children, state agencies and higher education programs, like Vermont State University and the Community College of Vermont, have made it easier for early childhood educators to enter the field, continue their education, reduce student debt and advance their careers. Resources are available for currently working educators and career changers as well as traditional students. Our innovative programs are essential to ensuring Vermont has well-prepared educators ready to work in our child care system.
Some of these pathways and resources include:
- In 2017, Vermont State University launched its Early Childhood Education Online Completion program, which allows students to complete a bachelor’s degree online, at their own pace, and in just five semesters. In its first year, the program had 12 graduates. Since then, it has grown exponentially, and graduated 65 early childhood educators in 2023. More graduates means more prepared teachers and open child care slots throughout Vermont.
- The Student Loan Repayment Assistance Program for Early Childhood Educators helps retain educators who have already earned degrees. Working educators can receive up to $4,000 annually in repayment assistance. In December 2023 alone, this program helped pay down $120,000 in Vermont early childhood educators’ student loan debt. Reducing this financial burden helps educators stay in the workforce while compensation catches up.
- The Curtis Fund Commitment scholarship offers students a chance to get paid to earn a Child Care Certificate from Community College of Vermont. The program covers the cost of tuition and fees and provides a generous stipend each semester.
- Comprehensive scholarships through the T.E.A.C.H. Early Childhood® Vermont Program supports working early childhood educators earning associate and bachelor’s degrees, Apprenticeships and Agency of Education Teacher Licensure with early childhood education/special education endorsement.
- A revamped Youth Apprenticeship Program[1] for high school students interested in an early childhood education career provides paid, on-the-job training at sponsor programs.
- Gap grants offer up to $1,000 to early childhood educators who face a financial obstacle that could keep them from continuing or completing college-level coursework.
- Vermont’s higher education programs have worked together to align, so students preparing for a career in the child care system can transfer credits more easily as they continue their education.
Vermont is rewriting the story about careers in early childhood education. You’ve heard the old story: about the talented and beloved early childhood educator who wasn’t paid enough to make ends meet, so she left the work she trained for to earn a few more dollars working at a big box store.
That happened too many times, with too many talented educators, and to the detriment of too many families and our economy, for far too long. When public investment in child care lags, families face unaffordably high tuition that still doesn’t cover what it actually costs to provide care to each child–and educators face below-living-wage salaries for specialized work.
Here’s the new story: For the first time, young people considering career options can envision early childhood education as a viable and respected career, with low or no student debt, a living wage and opportunities to grow within the field.
And we know the workforce is there, because enrollment in these early childhood education preparation programs is strong and growing. Well-prepared, well-compensated early childhood educators support children, families, businesses and all of Vermont. The successful implementation of Act 76, and the future of our state, depend on them.
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Heather Duhamel of St. Albans is a faculty member at Vermont State University and the program director of VTSU’s Early Childhood Education Online.
Sharron Harrington of Arlington is the executive director of the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC).