Despite the relative increase in early care and education (ECE) investment over recent decades, access to infant and toddler care continues to be a hurdle for countless families across the nation. While access is a multifaceted issue, main contributors include a lack of available slots and the high cost of providing care to infants and toddlers.…

In this brief, authors Jess Carson and Sarah Boege describe changes in the early childhood education and care landscape of Grafton and Sullivan Counties in New Hampshire and Orange and Windsor Counties in Vermont, collectively known as the Upper Valley. The authors find that the Upper Valley lost 25 regulated child care providers serving children…

In this brief, the authors explore how state-level decisions in New Hampshire and Vermont manifest in the early childhood education and care sector, through the lens of the interstate Upper Valley region. They demonstrate the significant differences in the reach and adequacy of child care financial assistance programs ("child care…

By April 15, 20 states had ordered child care centers to close in the wake of COVID-19, with exceptions for programs serving the children of essential workers such as health care professionals. Other states modified regulations, with some reducing class sizes to 10 or fewer. Especially for struggling providers, the emergency presents real…

The purpose of this study was to examine the enrollment patterns in Vermont's universal, mixed-delivery prekindergarten (preK) program and the child characteristics associated with the likelihood of being enrolled in different program types. This study describes the characteristics of children enrolled in universal preK programs in 2016/17, which…

Vermont passed universal prekindergarten (preK) legislation in 2014 (Act 166) in an effort to increase access to quality preK programs for all young children in the state. Act 166 provides state funded preK to all olds (and to 5 year olds who are not eligible for kindergarten). Families can enroll their children at no cost in any prequalified preK…

Vermont passed universal prekindergarten (preK) legislation in 2014 (Act 166) in an effort to increase access to high-quality preK programs for all young children in the state. Act 166 provides state-funded preK to all 3- and 4-year-olds (and to 5-year-olds who are not eligible for kindergarten). Families can enroll their children at no cost in…

These are the appendixes for the report "Enrollment Rates of Children in Universal Prekindergarten Programs in Vermont in 2016/17. REL 2020-015." The purpose of this study was to examine the enrollment patterns in Vermont's universal, mixed-delivery prekindergarten (preK) program and the child characteristics associated with the…