The Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) mission is to foster the healthy development, safety, well-being, and self-sufficiency of Vermonters. The Child Development Division’s (CDD) goal is to increase access to high-quality, sustainable services that are developmentally beneficial for children, strengthen families, and meet their needs, in partnership with families, communities, schools, providers, and state and federal agencies.
We know that regulated child care and afterschool employers continue to experience unprecedented staffing concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related "Great Resignation." Programs are experiencing exceptionally high staff vacancy and turnover rates while also facing increasing pressure to revert back to pre-COVID operating schedules to support parents and caregivers who are returning to more in-person work. The CDD, per legislative Act 83, is providing workforce retention bonuses to program owners to retain early childhood staff and home-based providers.
The Child Care Workforce Retention Bonus Program provides retention incentive payments to eligible child care and afterschool provider staff to help child care programs remain open and support ongoing employment in the child care and afterschool care workforce.
For a program to be eligible, the program must be operating as one of the noted program types with an active license, be open and serving children, and be located in Vermont.
- Registered Family Child Care Home (FCCH)
- Licensed Family Child Care Home (FCCH)
- Center Based Child Care and Preschool Program (CBCCPP)
- Afterschool Child Care Program (ASP)
The bonuses will be distributed in two (2) ways.
Owner Workforce Retention Bonus Benefit Payment (Application #1)
The individual owner of a regulated family child care home, center based child care and preschool program, or an afterschool program who works in an eligible position on an ongoing basis and meets the program criteria above may apply for a lump sum workforce retention benefit payment for themselves.
Eligible Positions:
- Director
- Family Child Care Home Provider
- Afterschool program administrator
- Afterschool program staff
- Teacher
- Teacher associate
- Assistant
- Trainee
- Aide
If the owner is on leave, but is committed to returning to work in one of the eligible positions above, they are also eligible.
Child Care Workforce Retention Bonus Grant Program (Application #2)
Individuals/licensees who have at least one employee in an eligible position who provides in-person services to children will be able to apply for a grant to distribute bonuses to their employees who work in these eligible positions:
- Director
- Family Child Care Home Assistant
- Afterschool program administrator
- Afterschool program staff
- Teacher
- Teacher associate
- Assistant
- Trainee
- Aide
Long-term substitute covering a staff member who is on leave in one of the above eligible positions. If the staff member on leave is committed to returning to work in one of the eligible positions above, they are also eligible.
If you are a program owner who fills one of the eligible positions on an ongoing basis and has employees, you may be eligible for the benefit payment for yourself (application #1) as well as the grant for your employees (application #2). In this case, both the benefit application and the grant application may be completed.
Questions
- For questions about the owner benefit payment (application #1), you can email AHS.DCFCDDworkforcebonus@vermont.gov.
- For questions about the grant award (application #2), you can email AHS.DCFContractsandGrantsRFP@vermont.gov.