Act No. 45 Page 1 of 2
2021
This act summary is provided for the convenience of the public and members of the General
Assembly. It is intended to provide a general summary of the act and may not be
exhaustive. It has been prepared by the staff of the Office of Legislative Counsel without
input from members of the General Assembly. It is not intended to aid in the interpretation
of legislation or to serve as a source of legislative intent.
Act No. 45 (H.171). Human services; child care
An act relating to child care systems and financing
This act amends the Child Care Financial Assistance Program (CCFAP) by
assigning co-payments to an entire participating family versus by child, ensuring
that families with an annual gross income of less than or equal to 150 percent of
the current Federal Poverty Level (FPL) do not have a family co-payment, and
increasing the upper limit of the income scale to 350 percent of current FPL. The
act further amends CCFAP by specifying that the payment schedule established
by the Commissioner of the Department for Children and Families (DCF) may
reimburse providers in accordance with the results of the most recent Vermont
Child Care Market Rate Survey and that reimbursement rate caps be tiered in
relation to provider ratings under the STARS program. The lower limit of
reimbursement rate caps cannot be less than the 50th percentile of all reported
rates for the same provider setting in each rate category.
Sec. 5 of this act requires the DCF’s Child Development Division (CDD) to
make every reasonable effort to achieve full functionality of the first Bright
Futures Information System (BFIS) module by October 1, 2021. By August 1,
2021, CDD is to convene a BFIS end-user group, which shall receive periodic
updates on the CDD’s progress in implementing the BFIS modernization project.
The group shall be dissolved following full functionality of all components of the
modernized BFIS.
This act develops three workforce development programs: scholarships for
current early childhood providers, scholarships for prospective early childhood
providers, and student loan repayment assistance; the latter two are set to expire
on July 1, 2026. Prior to the repeal of the programs, CDD, in consultation with
stakeholders, must submit a report to the General Assembly that:
o evaluates the effectiveness of the scholarship and student loan repayment
programs at recruiting and retaining providers; and
o provides recommendations on whether the scholarship and student loan
repayment programs should be repealed in accordance with the act, retained
and funded in their current state, or retained and modified.
Sec. 10 of this act requires DCF to submit a plan on the proposed use of the
Child Care Development Block Grant and the Child Care Stabilization Grants
received by the State pursuant to the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA)
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for review and acceptance by the Joint Fiscal Committee at its September 2021
meeting. The plan is to be concurrently provided to the Chairs of the House
Committee on Human Services and of the Senate Committee on Health and
Welfare for input prior to action by the Joint Fiscal Committee.
Sec. 12 of the act requires CDD, on or before July 1, 2022, to submit a report
to the General Assembly addressing the costs and policy implications associated
with moving from an attendance-based model to an enrollment-based model in
CCFAP.
Sec. 13 of this act directs Building Bright Futures to issue a request for
proposals to select an independent consulting entity with expertise in the field of
child care and early childhood education to provide an analysis and
recommendations on Vermont’s child care and early education systems for
children from birth through five years of age. On or before July 1, 2022, the
selected independent consulting entity is required to submit the analysis and
recommendations to the General Assembly.
Sec. 14 of this act requires the Joint Fiscal Office to contract with a consultant
to evaluate economic impacts of and potential funding mechanisms to adjust
Vermont’s regulated child care system for children 0–5 years of age with
consideration given to the intersection of and impacts on child care for children
from six through twelve years of age. The consultant is required to submit a
preliminary report to the General Assembly by December 1, 2022, and a final
report by January 15, 2023.
Multiple effective dates, beginning on June 1, 2021
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Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 33-3512, 33-3514, 33-3541(c), 33-3541, 33-10, 33-3542, 33-12
As Passed By the House -- Official: 33-3512, 33-3514, 33-3541(c), 33-3541, 33-10, 33-3542, 33-12, 33-3541(d), 33-3543, 33-4603
As Passed By the House -- Unofficial: 33-3512, 33-3514, 33-3541(d), 33-3541, 33-3542, 33-3543, 33-4603
As Passed by Both House and Senate -- Official: 33-3512, 33-3514, 33-3541(c), 33-3541, 33-10, 33-3542, 33-12, 33-3541(d), 33-3543, 33-4603
As Passed by Both House and Senate -- Unofficial: 33-3512, 33-3514, 33-3541(d), 33-3541, 33-3542, 33-3543, 33-4603
As Enacted: 33-3512, 33-3514, 33-3541(d), 33-3541, 33-3542, 33-3543, 33-4603