The Senate Health and Welfare Committee noted cost implications in S.56 where further discussion will be needed. In doing so, the Chair warned that addressing everything at once would be very costly and that the bill could die under its own weight if there is too much money involved. When the Joint Fiscal Office provides a fiscal note on the cost of each proposal, the remaining proposals in the bill will have to be weighed and prioritized. 

Proposals to address childcare include: 

• Increase the Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) eligibility from 350% to 425% of the poverty level. 
• Create a tiered professional compensation standard for childcare workers commensurate with public school educators and annual adjustments. 
• Tie a childcare provider’s participation in CCFAP with the use of this tiered system. 
• Make payment to a center based on enrollment rather than capacity. 
• Make a payment schedule that incorporates the total cost of care. 

• Allow all centers to receive payment regardless of STAR rating so families without access to high-level STAR programs are not disadvantaged from accessing CCFAP. 
• Create a non-citizen childcare assistance program. 
• Continue workforce retention grants with $7.3 million in funding. 

Additional related proposals in S.56 address governance and a property tax credit for childcare centers. 

Testimony from the Vermont Principals’ Association in the Senate Education Committee stated there is capacity and infrastructure in place to stand up a high-quality statewide program as outlined in a proposal for universal prekindergarten for 4-year-olds through the public school system. By transitioning an age group to universal public prekindergarten, the proposal could create a significant number of newly available private care provider spots for younger children, addressing availability concerns. 

While the committee response was generally supportive of the program, it was made clear that even with the capacity of schools to implement the proposal now, the only possibility this year would be for a further study on how it would work.  In contrast to private care providers that manage waitlists, public schools accept all students. Additionally, school enrollment has decreased, meaning that the required capacity and infrastructure for the program exists.