Child Care Financial Assistance Program

Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) is a critical resource that helps Vermont families afford child care. However, the level of financial assistance offered by the program does not reflect the current cost of child care in Vermont, meaning that eligible families and child care providers still struggle. The Building Vermont’s Future from the Child Up Think Tank recommends that CCFAP provide the full cost of child care tuition for all families earning less than Vermont’s livable wage. The Alliance supports its members’ advocacy to make immediate continued progress toward this goal by allocating additional funds to support necessary IT upgrades and to continue to make progress to increase the rates paid by the program to reflect the most current data on the cost of child care.

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

Data and Talking Points

• Access to high-quality, affordable child care leads to life-long positive outcomes for children, yet 3 out of 5 of Vermont’s youngest children who are likely to need child care don’t have access to the care they need.
• Vermont’s CCFAP is an important resource that helps lower- and middle-income families access and afford quality early care and education programs. However, it reimburses families at levels that are lower than the rates currently charged by early care and education programs. Vermont families eligible for the program are still spending nearly 30% of their income on child care, even with financial assistance.
• In 2019, the Child Development Division proposed, and the Legislature endorsed, a five-year redesign plan for CCFAP that will expand eligibility and raise reimbursement rates. That’s why we’re asking the Legislature to:
  • Align reimbursement rates with how much early care and education programs are currently charging; and
  • Allocate $4.5 million in one-time funding to allow CDD to purchase a new IT system to administer Vermont’s early care and education system.

Making Child Care More Affordable for Families

Vermont has worked hard over the past several years to develop a road map for how we, as a state, want to make high-quality, affordable child care a reality for Vermont children and families. In 2020, we must continue to strengthen the Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) and the capacity of Vermont’s early care and education system by continuing to increase reimbursement rates for families and securing a new IT system in order to continue implementing the 5-Year CCFAP Redesign Plan.

Resources and Advocacy Tools

• Let’s Grow Kids 2020 Legislative Priorities
• CCFAP Proposed Redesign 5-Year Plan
• Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance 2020 Legislative Agenda
• Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance’s Issue Page – CCFAP

Get Involved

• Contact your legislator using Let’s Grow Kids’ legislator dashboard.
• Join us for Early Childhood Day at the Legislature and the Rally for Kids on March 11th
• Join the movement at www.letsgrowkids.org

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.