Understanding Vermont's child care worker shortage

By Mikaela Lefrak,

Published January 31, 2023 at 7:25 AM EST

A young woman, mother or nanny, holding hands with little three year old boy with a schoolbag and taking him to kindergarten. — With a shortage of workers, finding available high-quality child care has become difficult for Vermont families. This hour, we talk to early childhood educators on the realities of working in childcare.

Live call-in discussion: The demand for child care in Vermont far exceeds the number of available workers. While early childhood education is vital for young children and their parents, the field has high turnover and an average salary below the state's livable wage. What can be done to solve this crisis?

Our guests:

Jesse Coutrayer, assistant director and preschool teacher at Robin's Nest Children's Center in Burlington
Sonja Raymond, owner of Apple Tree Learning Centers in Stowe
Sherry Carlson, chief programs officer at Let's Grow Kids

Broadcast live on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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