As the primary early childhood advisor in Vermont, Building Bright Futures has been closely monitoring the Build Back Better Act which includes investments in universal prekindergarten education (UPK) and child care among other social support programs. The legislation proposes a universal pre-K program for 3- and 4-year olds and makes substantial investments and expansions in states’ child care assistance programs, along with other efforts to support states with increasing the supply and quality of early education and requiring higher compensation for early educators. This proposal would be a once in a century federal investment in children and families. We believe we need to be prepared for, and use this as an opportunity to build the early childhood system that meets the needs of each and every Vermont child.
We are pleased to share a series of memos we developed to help you and other Vermont leaders understand the current iteration of the bill and how it relates to our current work and infrastructure in Vermont. Read the most recent one here.
Our team at Building Bright Futures remains in close conversation with Vermont’s Congressional delegation, the Governor’s Office, national early childhood stakeholders and their teams, as well as our network in order to monitor the reconciliation bill, and provide any necessary data or information to best support the development of this federal policy for Vermont. We intend to continue to update this resource for our partners as the bill continues to evolve and progress.
Our team looks forward to answering any questions and convening future conversations to best prepare Vermont and our early childhood system for this historic legislation’s potential enactment. Click here to learn more.
