Live call-in discussion: As Congress considers overhauling America’s child care system, Vermont families are trying to manage the current crisis. Child care is unaffordable to many families and open spots in child care centers are hard to come by. The pandemic’s made it all worse, especially on women. 80% of people who have left the workforce since the start of the pandemic are women. Meanwhile, child care providers are facing their own set of crises. Directors struggle to hire enough people to keep their centers open. And when a worker gets COVID, the staffing crunch gets even worse. This hour, we talk to parents and providers navigating this broken system. We also hear about Vermont’s new plan to get federal funds to child care centers ASAP, and we take your calls.
Note: Let's Grow Kids CEO Aly Richards was one of the guests on this episode of Vermont Edition along with early childhood educators at Robin's Nest Children's Center in Burlington's Old North End and a Vermont dad who had to cut his work hours because of child care.
by Mikaela Lefrak