Child Care Resources
Here are some useful information when looking for child care. Also, do you need help paying for Child Care? Want information about Rutland County Head Start or child care tax credits
Download our Child Care Support Services Newsletter (PDF format)
Agency of Human Services
Department for Children and Families
Child Development Division
www.dcf.state.vt.us/cdd/
Assuring a statewide system that promotes and supports safe, accessible, quality child care for Vermont families. This site provides various resources and links to child care in the state of Vermont.
Fee Scale Program
www.brightfutures.dcf.state.vt.us/vtcc/
The Fee Scale Program provides financial assistance for non-ANFC employed parents and for parents enrolled in approved training programs on a sliding fee scale, co-payment basis, that relates to family size and gross income.
Bright Futures Child Care Information System
www.brightfuturesinfo.org
This is the place for parents and child care providers to get answers to questions about child care, early education, school age care, and the services available to help ensure that high quality child care is available to every child in Vermont who needs it.
Additional Services and Resources
Vermont Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies
www.vermontchildcare.org
VACCRRA and its member agencies help employers and families with services which include a comprehensive dependent care needs assessment, a Vermont Work-Family Toolkit, and technical assistance on child care benefits.
Zero to Three: Child Development (birth to age 3)
www.zerotothree.org
Promoting the healthy development of our nation’s infants and toddlers by supporting and strengthening families, communities and those who work on their behalf.
Redleaf National Institute: National Center for the Business of Family Child Care
www.redleafinstitute.org
Committed to improving the quality of family child care by helping providers successfully manage their businesses and offering support to trainers, tax preparers and organizations who assist providers with their business.
Child Care Aware
www.childcareaware.org
Child Care Aware is a non-profit initiative committed to helping parents find the best information on locating quality child care and child care resources in their community.
Vermont Child Care Regulations
Child care regulations for centers and homes in Vermont.
Vermont 211
Vermont 2-1-1 is a free and confidential service, serving Vermonters statewide with information and resources to help maintain and improve their health and well being.
Internet Resources for Special Children (IRSC)
The site contains valuable information to caregivers, educators, and medical professionals who provide children with disabilities and other health related disorders services and support.
Healthy Kids, Healthy Care
A website with information for parents with children in child care.
American Academy of Pediatrics
Information on a variety of health related topics.
Child Development
One of the best sites on the Internet on information related to Child Development.
VT Dept. of Health
Public health information for providers and parents in Vermont.
Kids are Priority One
Vermont’s statewide early childhood coalition.
Here are some helpful hints when looking for a child care program that fits the needs of your
LOOK…Visit several Child Care homes or centers. Does it look safe? Do the teachers enjoy talking and playing with children? Do they talk with each child at the child’s level? Are there plenty of toys and learning materials within a child’s reach?
LISTEN…Do the children sound happy and involved? Do the teachers speak in cheerful and patient tones? A place that is too quiet may mean not enough activity. A place that is too noisy may mean that there is a lack of control.
COUNT…Count the number of children in the group. Then count the number of staff members caring for them. A program is able to focus attention on your child, if the teacher to child ratio and size of group is low.
ASK… Ask about the background and experience of the provider. Child care providers with special skills may be able to offer more to your family.
Ask how long the staff have been with the program. If the staff have been with a program for a long time it may be a sign that the program is responsive to the staff’s needs as well as the family’s needs.
If you have any questions or concerns, discuss them with the provider as soon as possible.
Other things to consider:
Is the child care program regulated?
Depending on the type of child care you need you may want a program that is regulated. Regulated means that the programs has basic health and safety criteria they need to meet. Click here to see the types of child care options in Vermont and basic regulation requirements. (PDF format)
For a complete list of regulations, visit Vermont’s Child Development Division’s website at www.cddvt.org.
To find out if a program has had any violations on the regulations in the past two years go to www.brightfuturesinfo.org or call Vermont’s Child Care Consumer Concern Line at 1-800-540-7942 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-540-7942 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 1-800-540-7942 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
Is the child care program accredited or have a quality rating?
Child Care programs can become accredited. Accredited means they have demonstrated to a national organization that they go above and beyond the basic child care regulations. Accreditation is an investment by the child care program in the quality of the child care they provide. There are several types of accreditation for the different types of child care programs. They include:
- National Association of Family Child Care (NAFCC)
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
- National Afterschool Association (NAA)
- National Early Childhood Program Accreditation (NECPA)
Vermont also has a quality rating system for child care called STARS (STep Ahead Recognition System). Programs that participate in STARS are stepping ahead — going beyond the regulations to provide professional services to meet the needs of children and families. Programs receive one to five stars based on points earned in five areas of child care. The five areas of child care are:
- regulatory history
- qualifications and training
- families and community
- program assessment
- administration
Parents are encouraged to ask child care programs about specific STARS achievements. It can be interesting and informative to discuss areas of strength as well as plans for continued improvement. For more information about STARS please visit www.starsstepahead.org.
Need help paying for child care?
A variety of programs are available to families to assist with child care costs.
Vermont Child Care Subsidy Program
This is a program for Vermont residents to assist in paying for child care. To qualify your family must
- Have a reason (or service need) for child care, and
- Meet certain income guidelines.
For more information contact Child Care Support Services.
