Study recommends state move toward universal early child care

Vermont spends about $130 million on early education and preK each year, but it’s not enough, according to a Blue Ribbon Commission tasked with studying how to create and pay for quality care and schooling for children from birth to age 5. It will take an investment of somewhere between $283 million and $766 million to ensure every child has good care.

The Blue Ribbon Commission on Financing High Quality, Affordable Child Care recommends the state move toward universal early care and learning. It said it will require big shifts in current funding, governance and delivery. There is no way that investing more into the current delivery system will be enough to fix the problem, according to the final report issued on Dec. 9.

The commission suggests the Legislature make “immediate incremental investments in high quality, affordable early care and learning,” recommends a new design for the system and puts forward possible funding mechanisms for a universal program.

“Developing and funding an early care learning system must be a top state priority of the next Gubernatorial Administration and State Legislature,” states the report.

Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2016/12/12/study-recommends-state-move-toward-universal-early-child-care/