Vermont’s bold investment in child care is largely paying off

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - The disbanding of a civic organization may not seem cause for celebration. But optimism and an air of a job well done prevailed in September, when a business-casual crowd gathered in Burlington to bid farewell to Let’s Grow Kids .

A decade earlier, the nonprofit had launched a campaign to create affordable, high-quality child care in Vermont. That investment would ultimately take shape as Act 76, a sweeping law passed in 2023 that directed $125 million annually, largely through a payroll tax, to expand subsidies for families and funds for childcare providers.

Darren Perron spoke with Seven Days’ Alison Novak, who reported is this week’s issue on the end of Let’s Grow Kids.

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