Vermont Business Magazine Beginning October 6, more Vermont families qualify for financial assistance to help pay for regulated child care, preschool, and afterschool care. The Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) helps Vermont children access high quality care by covering some or all child care costs for eligible families. The program currently serves over 9,000 children across the state.
Vermont families are now eligible to access reduced child care costs through Act 76, the state’s new child care law. Through Act 76, income eligibility for the state’s child care tuition assistance program (the Child Care Financial Assistant Program) will increase to include thousands more Vermont children and their families. This infusion of state support is already having a positive impact on the economy by empowering child care programs to increase capacity and raise compensation for early childhood educators across the state.
In the first two quarters of 2024, more child care programs opened than closed for the first time since 2018. Additionally, since Act 76 began rolling out last year, over 1,000 new child care spaces have been created.
Teigue Linch, a mother of twins from Chittenden County, shared how her family has been impacted by Act 76: “Financially, it’s really challenging to raise a family in America right now, and having two kids in need of child care at the same time was especially difficult: before we qualified for tuition assistance, almost my entire income was spent on child care each month. Now that we qualify, we've gone from paying $3,000/month for child care to just over $1,000/month. Accessing tuition assistance has given my family the ability to function, to be a two-income family again, and to plan and save for the future."
Linch’s family qualified for tuition assistance through the April eligibility expansion from Act 76. The October expansion is expected to significantly increase access for even more Vermonters, with thousands of additional children and their families potentially seeing reduced child care costs.
Act 76 not only increases eligibility for child care tuition assistance but also provided a 35% reimbursement rate increase for child care programs for each family participating in the tuition assistance program. This rate increase has helped child care programs across the state stabilize and expand capacity.
Lauren Skaskiw, owner of the Plymouth Schoolhouse, a licensed child care program in Windsor County stated: “Our program is so critical to our community, as the only year-round, licensed child care program in Plymouth. This public investment is helping us expand to better meet our community's needs. The financial assistance expansion not only helps more families in our program afford child care, but it has also given us the confidence to expand into a second classroom, hire a second staff member, and create four new infant and toddler spaces. Now our program is sustainable, and we are planning for the future.”
Vermont employers are also feeling the impact of Act 76, as increased access to affordable child care has helped parent employees and the ability to recruit and retain staff. Brian Wannop, CFO of Mamava, a Vermont manufacturing company, said: “Child care is infrastructure – it's what makes it possible for kids, parents, our communities, and our businesses to thrive. Act 76 is helping our hardworking staff access affordable child care, which allows them to fully participate in the workforce and advance their careers. This means greater stability for their families and for our business. We can’t address our demographic and workforce challenges as a state until we have affordable child care. This historic expansion to make child care more affordable is paving the way for a stronger economic future for Vermont.”
Aly Richards, CEO of Let’s Grow Kids, the organization leading Vermont’s Child Care Campaign, shared what this historic change means for the state: “For young families in Vermont, this is the most significant change to our child care system, directly resulting from new public investment included in Act 76. This eligibility expansion moves us as close as we’ve ever been to our goal of affordable, quality child care for all who need it in Vermont. Making child care more affordable gives our youngest children a more equitable start during their most crucial years. This expansion and the additional access to child care that comes with it will improve school readiness for our kids and will help parents enter or return to the workforce. We look forward to working with our Vermont lawmakers to continue building on the progress from Act 76.”
“Vermont families rely on child care programs to provide safe, enriching care and education to their young children while they work or attend school. The Child Care Financial Assistance Program can now help even more families afford the child care they need,” said Janet McLaughlin, Deputy Commissioner of the Child Development Division (CDD).
Families in the program pay a weekly family share. Family shares range from $0 to $425 per week based on family size and income. The State then pays the program the CCFAP state rate minus the weekly family share amount.
Under new CCFAP eligibility guidelines more Vermont families qualify for the program. The highest income eligibility level has increased to 575% of the federal poverty level (FPL), up from 400%. The FPL is a measure of income that determines a family’s eligibility for programs. This change is the second and final income eligibility increase implemented as a result of Act 76.
“Affordable access to quality child care benefits the children served, supports the workforce in Vermont, and allows families to better manage their work, family, and financial needs,” said Chris Winters, Commissioner of the Department for Children and Families.
To apply for CCFAP, families must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- Age of children: 6 weeks to 13 years (19 years for those with special needs),
- Reason for care: Must have an approved reason for needing child care, like work or training
- Income guidelines: Must meet Vermont’s income guidelines
- Residency: Must be a Vermont resident
- Asset limit: Have less than $1 million in assets
To apply for CCFAP, families should contact their local Community Child Care Support Agency or apply online through the Child Development Division Information System (CDDIS) Family Portal.
Agency staff can also help families find care.
The Vermont Department for Children and Families delivers a wide array of programs and services to Vermonters in areas such as child care, child development, child protection, child support, disability determination, and economic benefits that help meet basic needs.
Families can check their eligibility and find out more information about child care tuition assistance here.
About Vermont's Child Care Campaign
Vermont's Child Care Campaign is led by Let’s Grow Kids, a nonprofit organization on a mission to ensure affordable access to quality child care for all Vermont families by 2025. With nearly 40,000 supporters, Let’s Grow Kids, in partnership with Let’s Grow Kids Action Network, is empowering Vermonters to advocate for sustainable child care policy change. Learn more at www.letsgrowkids.org.
Vermont Department for Children and Families. 280 State Drive | Waterbury, VT 05671 |www.DCF.vermont.gov
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