Vermont Business Magazine Vermont’s Child Care Campaign kicked off its next phase last week at Growing Vermont: A Conversation on the Future of Child Care, a town hall event at Hula Lakeside featuring national and local policy experts. The event marked two years since the passage of Act 76, Vermont’s historic child care law, as well as the wind-down of Let’s Grow Kids (LGK), the advocacy organization launched in 2015 as a ten-year campaign to transform Vermont’s child care system.
Let’s Grow Kids will officially cease operations as an organization at the end of this year. Moving forward, Vermont’s Child Care Campaign will be led by child care eco-system partners: The Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC), Building Bright Futures (BBF), First Children’s Finance–Vermont (FCF-VT), and the Let’s Grow Kids Action Network (LGKAN) - LGK’s sister 501(c)(4) organization.
At the event, leaders from these partner organizations shared updated data on Vermont’s child care progress since Act 76 took effect, while highlighting the need for continued investment to address ongoing gaps in affordability, access, and early childhood educator workforce professionalization and compensation.
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Since the passage of Act 76 in 2023, Vermont has seen significant progress: more than 100 new child care programs have opened, creating over 1,700 spaces for children and 400 new early childhood educator jobs. In every quarter of 2024 and the first two quarters of 2025, more child care programs have opened than closed.
Families earning up to 575% of the federal poverty level—about $184,862 for a family of four as of October 2024—are now eligible for tuition assistance. Enrollment in tuition assistance has grown by over 63%, meaning more than 4,700 additional children now benefit from reduced child care costs.
During the event, Erin Roche (Director, FCF-VT), Sharron Harrington (Executive Director, (VTAEYC), and Dr. Morgan Crossman (Executive Director, BBF) provided a “state-of-child-care update” that outlined priorities for the coming year, including:
- Protecting current state funding for child care;
- Expanding access and affordability for families; and
- Strengthening the early childhood workforce.
Erin Roche, First Children’s Finance Vermont Director said: “Expanding access to child care means families have choices and local economies can thrive. Making child care more affordable means families can use their income for things they need and plan for the future. But every new space requires more early childhood educators, access to capital and business know-how to serve their communities for years to come.”
VTAEYC Executive Director Sharron Harrington emphasized that a top priority for the 2026 legislative session will be to pass the “ECE Profession Bill” that would create professional licensure for early childhood educators working in non-public child care programs. The “ECE Profession Bill” passed out of the Senate in 2025 and advocates expect the Legislature to take it up again in 2026. Harrington said: “Early childhood education is not babysitting; it’s teaching during the fastest period of brain development. Vermont must invest in preparing, compensating, and recognizing our early childhood educators, because a stable, qualified workforce is the key to access and quality for every child.”
BBF Executive Director Dr. Morgan Crossman stated: “Vermont has the highest income eligibility in the nation for access to child care tuition assistance and this is something we all should be very proud of. And yet, parents are still struggling to gain access to child care. Looking ahead we must improve access, prioritize the workforce, and protect Vermont’s investments while monitoring what’s happening at the federal level.”
The speaking program also included keynote remarks from professional athlete and activist Mirna Valerio and a town-hall style panel moderated by Aly Richards (CEO of Let’s Grow Kids), with participants Marica Cox Mitchell (Bainum Family Foundation), Lauren Hogan (National Association for the Education of Young Children), Rebecca Gale (national journalist, New America), Ben Cohen (Ben & Jerry’s), Dr. Kaitlin Northey (associate professor of early childhood education at UVM), and Alora Zargo, an aspiring early childhood educator and advocate.
The event also marked a leadership transition for Vermont’s Child Care Campaign. Emilie Tenenbaum, LGK’s chief of strategy and external affairs for the past five years, was introduced as LGKAN’s incoming executive director. Tenenbaum closed the event by saying: “We’re writing the next chapter of Vermont’s Child Care Campaign together. I couldn’t be more excited to be taking on this new leadership role, working closely with the key partners here today who, thanks to the movement Vermonters have built, are well-equipped to support our child care ecosystem. We’ve long said, our child care advocacy does not revolve around one organization, one person, or one moment—it’s about the movement. And what do effective advocacy movements do? We adapt. We change. We take stock and then double down and do the work.”
About Let’s Grow Kids Action Network
Let’s Grow Kids Action Network (LGKAN) is a 501(c)(4) organization focused on passing laws that fund and sustain a quality, affordable, and accessible child care system in Vermont. LGKAN can engage in political and electoral advocacy and lobbying in service of Vermont’s Child Care Campaign. Learn more: www.letsgrowkidsactionnetwork.org.
About Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children
Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC) is the state’s largest professional membership organization for early childhood educators and serves as the Vermont affiliate of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). VTAEYC’s mission is to advance equity and excellence in early childhood education, with educators at the foundation of its work. The organization connects practice, policy, and research by providing resources that strengthen early childhood education today and for the future. Learn more: www.vtaeyc.org.
About First Children’s Finance-Vermont
First Children’s Finance’s mission is to grow the supply and business sustainability of excellent child care. First Children’s Finance helps start, sustain, and grow child care businesses by providing business resources and access to capital. The organization works in partnership with the State of Vermont, Let’s Grow Kids, and other statewide agencies. Business resources are offered at no charge to child care businesses. Learn more: www.firstchildrensfinance.org/vermont
About Building Bright Futures
Building Bright Futures (BBF) is Vermont’s early childhood advisory body, established in state and federal statute to serve as the State Advisory Council on early childhood. BBF works to monitor, advise, and convene stakeholders to improve the well-being of children and families across Vermont. A key role of BBF is monitoring the implementation of Act 76, Vermont’s landmark child care and early childhood education law, by collecting and analyzing data, elevating family and provider voices, and reporting on progress and challenges to policymakers. Learn more: www.buildingbrightfutures.org.
9.9.2025. Burlington – Vermont’s Child Care Campaign
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