State reports progress on child care ‘hubs’
A scenic view of the Green Mountains from Randolph, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
The state has identified 12 sites for new education "hubs" to provide child care services on remote learning days during the pandemic. Twenty other sites are in the approval process, and 40 other possible sites are under review.
The hub program was announced on Aug. 18 in an effort to increase child care capacity in Vermont ahead of the Sept. 8 reopening of schools. A particular concern is child care for school-aged children during remote learning days. The goal is to create 73 hubs to add up to 7,000 child care slots statewide; the 12 sites announced Tuesday provide a combined total of 2,300 child care slots. The hubs are required to have Wi-Fi so children can access their education while there.
At a Tuesday press conference, Human Services Secretary Mike Smith said the community response to the state's search for potential sites has been "overwhelmingly positive." The state fielded over 160 applications to be a hub site, provide space or offer programming. The 12 sites identified so far are in eight counties, including three sites each in Addison and Chittenden counties, and one each in Franklin, Lamoille, Rutland, Washington, Windham and Windsor counties.
Smith said the state is moving as quickly as possible to get more sites approved by Sept. 8, but he said it's likely some locations will come on board after that day.
"Remember what we're doing here, we're putting a whole new child care system in place within a couple of weeks, and that is something I don't think we've ever done as a state," Smith told the media.
The state's relief funds will cover the start-up costs for each site, but Smith said it's up to the individual site whether or not it charges parents to cover operational costs. He added that the Agency of Human Services offers assistance to help parents cover child care costs.
To highlight the great need for this care, Smith said Essex Junction Recreation and Parks is one of the new hub sites, and it has already filled all 700 of its child care slots — which are divided among multiple locations, on different schedules.
It's uplifting to hear how much Vermonters are stepping up to meet the need for child care. There's broad recognition of the urgency to create these hubs, and from Tuesday's update, it seems a little more progress is being made every day. That's an encouraging sign for Vermont.
— Gareth Henderson
