Special Accommodation Grants

Special Accommodation Grants (SAGs) assist early childhood educators in caring for children with special needs. With extra support, children can participate and benefit from high-quality early childhood education, and in turn, their parents are able to work.

The State of Vermont has for many years offered Special Accommodation Grants to early care and learning providers to assist with the expense of caring for children with special needs. Most often SAGs pay for a one-to-one aide to support children with special health needs, such as a feeding tube, or children on the autism spectrum or with behavioral issues who need extra support to stay safe in the early learning setting. The SAG grants have always been in high demand across the state, and $350,000 in annual funding is usually depleted by February or March of each school year, leaving some children without critical supports. 

The Alliance supports the lead organizations’ request that the state fund SAGs in the amount of $500,000 and, in order to more fully integrate this with specialized child care services, that the administration of SAG grants be part of CIS Specialized Child Care, with an appropriate increase in funding. This investment will give children with special needs increased access to early childhood education, support the work of early childhood educators and CIS providers, and is in keeping with the state’s goal to provide truly integrated services for families. 

Continue reading for more information on this priority issue, including data and talking points, connections to the lead organizations, and advocacy tools.

Data and Talking Points

• Funding for SAGs – proposed to be $300,000 for FY22 – historically runs out two-thirds of the way through the fiscal year.
• Current low funding levels and complex administrative processes prevent the SAG program from accomplishing its goal, which is to prevent children with special needs from being expelled from care simply because they need extra support.
• Providing a unique budget line for SAGs would provide increased transparency, accountability, and allow the legislature to track utilization more accurately.
• Program changes in FY21 have turned SAGs from a grant program to a reimbursement model, which requires providers to make up-front investments without knowing if they will receive reimbursement. 

Stabilize Child Care Access for Children with Special Health Needs

The Alliance supports the lead organizations’ requests:

• Increase funding for SAGs to $500,000 for FY22.
• Create a unique budget line item for SAGs, to increase transparency and ensure the legislature can accurately track program utilization.
• Re-categorize SAG funding as “emergency response” and make other program changes to allow funds to be awarded more simply and on an up-front basis, as opposed to only after invoicing.

These changes will give children with special needs increased access to early childhood education, support the work of early childhood educators and CIS providers, and are in keeping with the state’s goal to provide truly integrated services for families. 

Resources and Advocacy Tools

• Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance 2021 Legislative Agenda
• Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance Issue Page – Special Accommodation Grants

Get Involved

• Your personal story as an early education provider, parent, or family member is our best advocacy tool! If you have personal experience applying for or utilizing a Special Accommodation Grant, please reach out to Margaret Atkinson (margaret@winstonprouty.org) or Dan Brown, Alliance Public Engagement Director, (dan@vecaa.org) and we can connect you with your legislator.  
• Advocates continue to educate legislators about how the shortage of funding and changes to the structure of the program has made access to the grant much more difficult especially for small centers and home-based providers, but we need to hear from you. 
• To learn more about Special Accommodation Grants and how to advocate in the legislature, join us on March 10 for Early Childhood Day at the Legislature. Register on the Alliance website.

Schedule an Advocacy Training

Schedule an Alliance training for a group of early childhood professionals, providers, parents, or employers interested in strengthening their advocacy skills or learning more about the issues on the Alliance’s Legislative Agenda. Be informed and ensure your voice is heard on issues impacting Vermont's young children and families!

To set up a training, email Matt Levin, Alliance Executive Director, at matt@vecaa.org.

Register Today! – Early Childhood Day at the Legislature