Access to affordable, high-quality early care and education (child care) programs for ages 0-12, including afterschool and out-of-school time hours (third space programs), affects more than just Vermont’s parents and caregivers of young children; it affects the businesses that employ them and our larger economy. Of note, there were small methodology changes between the 2024 and 2026 reports which are outlined in the 2026 report.
The chart below shows the percentage of children without access to any early care and education programs out of those likely to need care by age.
Data Sources
First Children’s Finance (2026) Supply and Demand Gap Analysis (2026).
Related Resource
Vermont Child Care Provider Data: Data on regulated child care programs including licensed and desired capacity, STARS rating, reported participation in CACFP, and Prequalification for Universal Prekindergarten Education. Able to be filtered and exported for manipulation. From State of Vermont Open Data: data.vermont.gov
Related Policy Change
Act 76, an act related to child care and early education, was passed on June 20, 2023. Read more about BBF’s work to monitor the law’s implementation and support accountability.