Vermont Business Magazine The following is a statement from Sharron Harrington, Executive Director of the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VTAEYC) and Emilie Tenenbaum, Executive Director of Let’s Grow Kids Action Network (LGKAN) on the Vermont Senate’s passage of S.206, the Early Childhood Educator Profession Bill:
The Senate’s passage of S.206 brings Vermont one important step closer to the stable, qualified, respected early childhood educator workforce we need to meet families’ child care needs. This bill strengthens this critical workforce, and is Vermont’s next step in building a quality, affordable, and accessible child care system. The bill advanced with bipartisan support by a vote of 21-7.
“On behalf of Vermont’s more than 7,000 early childhood educators, we want to thank the Senate for advancing this critical legislation and for continuing to make child care a top priority.
“For more than a decade, Vermont’s child care workforce has asked for clear career pathways and recognition of their expertise. This legislation reflects input from more than 1,000 early childhood educators from over 10 years of workforce outreach and contains strong safeguards to ensure everyone currently working in child care can keep their jobs. Importantly, it creates pathways to bring more future early childhood educators to the field, allowing Vermont to realize the full potential of Act 76, already helping to increase capacity and support new programs.
“We look forward to supporting the progress of S.206 as it moves to the House.”
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