Video: Vermont Made Child Care Affordable. Could It Lead by Example?

"Not long ago, Vermont had a population problem. Then Act 76 ushered in affordable child care for the first time in the state's history. Vermont had a problem. Child care was too expensive. We would be paying $3,500 a month, more than twice our mortgage. Some parents were giving up their careers to stay home After daycare, you come home with maybe $60 extra a week. It's just not even worth it at that point."

"making it harder for local businesses to hire workers. Some businesses wanted the state to pay for childcare, but they faced a big obstacle. The word tax. It's a very volatile word. Ultimately, Vermont did manage to make child care more affordable. So we're here to find out how they're doing it. This year's midterm elections could turn on the issue of affordability. Affordability. Affordability. Affordability. The affordability crisis. Forty-four percent of voters said having a family was unaffordable in a recent Times-Siena poll."

"Alison Byrnes and her husband, for example, wanted a third kid. It felt just like our family wasn't complete. But daycare for two kids here costs $3,500 a month, and Alison's mom was already dipping into her retirement fund to help pay for that. There's no way we could make that work. For years, Vermont's working-age population has been shrinking, making businesses like Smugglers' Notch Resort compete to find the workers they need."

Act 76 introduced affordable child care in Vermont for the first time, addressing steep costs that once exceeded many mortgage payments. High child care expenses led some parents to leave the workforce and discouraged families from having more children. Employers struggled to hire, prompting some to offer child care benefits that quickly filled positions. Political sensitivity about taxes complicated funding debates. Public concern about affordability is pronounced, with nearly half of voters reporting that having a family feels unaffordable, intensifying pressure on policy and elections.

Read at www.nytimes.com