Letter to the editor: Bill would affect private schools

Bill S.56 will essentially eliminate private preschools by solely funding public schools for children ages 4 and 5 (before they are eligible to enter kindergarten) and threaten the childcare industry as a whole, forcing private childcare businesses to close, creating a larger childcare crisis.

Last week, senators introduced bill S.56, legislation that would transform access to and affordability of childcare and early childhood education in Vermont.

The “Red Clover Childcare Center,” as it will be called, will open later this year.

Childcare centers have for years been waging a battle to attract and retain educators, while providing enough slots to meet the needs of Addison County households.

Add childcare centers to the list of industries struggling to find and retain employees amid what has become a shallow pool of workers since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

Let’s Grow Kids CEO Aly Richards will deliver an AAUW talk titled “Vermont’s Child Care Campaign: Systems Change in Action.” on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Ilsley Library.

Aided by $560,000 in donated seed money, the Congregational Church of Middlebury has agreed to establish and host an independent, non-profit child care center providing slots for 24 children ages six weeks to three years old.

The organization Let’s Grow Kids has been at the forefront of an effort to establish legislation that makes having children in Vermont more affordable and, as it should be, desirable. It recent years it has not been affordable, and therefore, to many, not … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury’s Sunshine Children’s Center will close later this year, a development that’s bound to create new challenges for local parents already struggling to find quality care and early education options for young kids in Addison County’s s … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — The Otter Creek Child Center in Middlebury currently serves a young family that’s receiving a state child care subsidy and an in-house scholarship, yet is still on the hook for more than $1,100 in monthly tuition for their two children. The p … (read more)

I have five children in the Addison Central School District, my oldest at Mary Hogan, and the other four at Cornwall School. Our Superintendent, Peter Burrows, has caused a stir with our children’s schedule, so I would like to place a letter on the curren … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — Addison County public school districts are organizing a series of childcare hubs that will offer safe, supervised space for young students on days they won’t physically be attending classes during a very unusual fall semester. The hubs are be … (read more)

ADDISON COUNTY — As elementary, middle and high schools are implementing plans for reopening this fall, childcare services and preschools are preparing as well — and in some cases are implementing creative outdoor classes to start off the fall. While chil … (read more)

The 2019-20 school year has come and gone, changing many things along the way. With it, Mary Johnson Children’s Center marks the closing of the Starksboro School Age Program, affectionately known as RASY, and the Bristol School Age program, known as BASK. … (read more)

MIDDLEBURY — Mary Johnson Children’s Center (MJCC) on Friday announced that Executive Director Dave Mandel is leaving to pursue other professional opportunities. “Although Dave’s time with the center was short, his impact was great as he helped guide the … (read more)