The State of Vermont – Office of Emergency Management just released information about a new web-based form available to help ensure childcare for essential workers, please see their press release below.
In collaboration with public and private early childhood partners, BBF supported the development and launch of an infrastructure to assist Vermont’s essential workers be matched up with needed child care in their region. The list of essential workers can be found here: https://vem.vermont.gov/essentialpersons.
PROCESS: Let’s Grow Kids developed a web-based form help to collect data on child care needs for Vermont’s essential workers. The database will be reviewed hourly and a list will be sent to a CDD experienced referral specialist who will be able to match the family with appropriate care for their children. CDD’s licensing team has deployed to contact every program by phone to find out their status and is maintaining a living list of programs that are able to provide care to essential workers. They are working as quickly as possible and they ask if providers have not heard from their licensor yet and have questions to contact the Licensor on Duty at 1-800-649-2642 option 3 or ahs.dcfcddchildcarelicensing@vermont.gov.
We ask that you please disseminate this information widely to your extended networks to ensure CDD will have an accurate picture of child care needs and can quickly connect essential workers with child care!
Find the new web-based form available to help ensure childcare for essential workers here: https://webportalapp.com/webform/essentialworkers
For more information, call 2-1-1 ext. 6.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
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STATE OF VERMONT MAKES WEB-BASED FORM AVAILABLE TO HELP ENSURE CHILDCARE FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS
Montpelier, VT – The State of Vermont is helping to ensure eligible essential workers responding to the COVID-19 emergency can focus on their jobs and not worry about the care and safety of their children.
The State, with the help of Let’s Grow Kids, has developed a web form to more easily collect information to connect the families of essential workers with childcare in schools and licensed childcare programs that are operating to provide services now through April 6, 2020, while school dismissal and general childcare service closures are in effect. Families can also call 2-1-1 ext. 6 or 1-877-705-9008 to speak to a childcare referral specialist.
Eligible families can complete the form and the State, through the Agency of Education for school-aged children through grade 8, and Child Development Division for younger children, will work to connect essential workers who need childcare with options for their children.
This is a fluid situation and needs and guidance are continuously being reevaluated.
The state of Vermont appreciates the help and patience of our schools, childcare providers, and families as we coordinate this unprecedented response.
Essential workers who need help finding childcare should visit:
https://webportalapp.com/webform/essentialworkers or call 2-1-1 ext. 6
Childcare programs with questions should call or email the Child Development Division: 800-649-2642 (option 3) or ahs.dcfcddchildcarelicensing@vermont.gov
Schools with questions should contact the Agency of Education: 802-828-1130
A list of essential positions that qualify for services can be found at: https://vem.vermont.gov/essentialpersons
