Even if you and your family don’t rely on early childhood education and childcare, you’re probably aware of the current shortage and the stresses this places on families and employers. Here’s a look at what’s happened in the year since Vital Communities and its partners began digging into this issue.
Following a well-attended Corporate Council Childcare Symposium in the Fall of 2021, Vital Communities brought together working groups to answer the question: How can we increase childcare access and affordability in the Upper Valley so our families and workplaces can thrive?
Led by the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Steering Committee and facilitator Joanne Roberts, two workgroups – one focused on Advocacy and the other on Workforce and Program Models – have brought together a dedicated group of early childhood educators, advocates, parents, government officials, and employers to collaborate. The first step was to determine the role of each of the committees and develop a Vital Communities Early Childhood Initiative Charter.
Advocacy Workgroup
Strategic Goal:
Advocate for policies and investments to support the increase of high-quality, accessible, and affordable early childhood education in the bi-state Upper Valley by growing a grassroots advocacy campaign, engaging a broad range of stakeholders, and identifying sustainable childcare business models to improve the economic vitality of the region.
Current efforts:
- Planning a bi-state celebration of the Week of the Young Child (April 1-7, 2023), a week dedicated to celebrating early childhood educators as playing an important role in the development of children ages birth to five years.
- Following and advocating for legislation in Vermont and New Hampshire that positively impacts the Early Childhood Education system.
Workforce and Program Models Workgroup
Strategic Goal:
Identify, influence, and elevate strategies that promote bi-state sustainability and expansion of existing early education providers by supporting the retention and recruitment of early childhood educators and promoting fair compensation and benefits.
Identify, develop, and support strategies and models to reduce financial barriers such as operational costs, tax breaks, zoning requirements, etc. Connect early childhood educators to the networks providing business-related technical assistance and capital access to optimize their business operations, lower operation costs, and increase their capacity. Identify and support opportunities for cooperative procurement of services.
Current efforts:
- ECEA’s Workforce Building Strategy, Career Cultivator
- It is off to a great start with 12 people currently working their way through the program. In a matter of weeks, 6 of those trainees will be ready to begin subbing in ECE centers as they continue working on coursework and on-site training.
- Lebanon, NH Early Childhood Education Facility
- The Boys and Girls Club of Central NH will be the provider.
- A location and architect have been chosen.
Other Developments in Early Childhood Education
With both New Hampshire and Vermont recognizing the childcare crisis for what it is, there have been some exciting developments in the legislature.
Multiple bills introduced in Vermont and New Hampshire targeting:
- Funding for early childhood education
- Tax exemption for childcare facilities
- Universal, full-day pre-kindergarten in public schools
- Other changes to laws and regulations that work in favor of early childhood education providers
Questions? Reach out to Anna Hubbard, Early Childhood Education Initiative Project Manager.
If you are interested in receiving resources or advocating for childcare in New Hampshire and Vermont, subscribe to the ECE listserv for updates, opportunities, and resources like this video from Mom’s Rising created to illustrate “a small segment of the issue and how a simple policy solution – the change from attendance based scholarships to enrollment based scholarships – can help ensure New Hampshire families do not continue to fall through the cracks.”