child care

Over the next two weeks, key committees in both the House and Senate will have to finalize work on major bills dealing with housing, child care, paid family and medical leave and other policy proposals.

Article 9 of the state's founding document spells out when it's OK for elected officials to raise taxes, but lawmakers often differ on how to interpret the constitutional provision.

Lawmakers want to ease the child care crunch in Vermont by sending most of the state’s 4-year-olds into the public school system.

Host Mikaela Lefrak talks to early childhood educators about the child care worker shortage.

There's still a shortage of child care teachers and that's keeping parents out of the workforce. Dozens of states are trying to lure back providers and lower costs for families.

Host Connor Cyrus talks with state Sen. Ginny Lyons about a recent independent report on early childhood education and child care in Vermont.

Education policy experts hired by the state say Vermont needs to create a new, standalone department in state government to oversee child care and pre-K statewide.

In New Hampshire, the 7% increase in 2021 births compared with pre-pandemic 2019 was the highest increase in the nation.

The state needs nearly 9,000 more spaces for young children, according to a recent report. For reference, that's more than the number of children born in Vermont each year.

Child care centers across the state have waiting lists of over a hundred families. And the pandemic has only worsened the longstanding shortage. But experts say opening new centers won’t solve the problem — the issue is finding staff.