Advocacy
VTAEYC advocates for policies that move early childhood education forward now and for the future.
Be an Advocate for Early Childhood Education
VTAEYC advocates for policies that move early childhood education forward — and elevates early childhood educators as advocates. Learn about our policy priorities and how you can get involved.
To identify your areas of interest and connect with advocacy and leadership opportunities, fill out our Leadership & Advocacy Form:
Advocacy Priority
The Early Childhood Educator Profession Bill
Early childhood educators helped shape this bill. Early childhood educator advocacy is essential to passing this bill.
Professional recognition supports clear and well-resourced career pathways for early childhood educators, improved access to care for families, transparency for families and hiring directors, greater public recognition of the essential work early childhood educators do, and most of all: better outcomes for children, in kindergarten and beyond.
Early childhood educators advocacy is essential to passing this bill. Learn more, register for an info session, and get involved:
Advocacy Priorities
Our 2026 Policy Agenda
Protect Child Care Funding
Act 76 delivers long-term public investment for Vermont’s early childhood education system. Just two years into implementation, it’s had a huge impact. Lawmakers must stay committed to the funding that is making this transformation possible.
Since Act 76:
- ECE workforce grew 8.5%
- Stabilized family child care
- Closed supply-demand gap by 19%
Strengthen the ECE Workforce
By recognizing ECEs as the skilled professionals they are and giving them clear, supported career paths, we make it possible to recruit and retain the workforce the system needs. Vermont educators have been calling for this recognition for years, because better qualifications lead to better outcomes for children.
- Support the Early Childhood Educator Profession Bill
- Fully fund scholarships, grants, bonuses, student loan repayment, and adult and youth apprenticeship programs that support and prepare the ECE workforce
Fix Fingerprint Delays
Child safety depends on efficient and thorough background checks, but long backlogs in fingerprint and background checks block new educators and support staff from starting work, which makes staffing shortages in child care and afterschool programs even worse.
- Support state agency budget requests to fund improvements needed to resolve the backlog
Affordability and Access
Further investment is needed to continue expanding access, lowering costs, and strengthening quality, especially in rural regions and for families with unique needs such as nonstandard work hours.
- Continue investing in Vermont’s child care system to increase access and bring down costs for families while improving quality across the board
- Strengthen and expand programs to recruit and retain ECEs so Vermont can continue increasing child care access for children and families.
It’s time for early childhood education to be a well-prepared, well-compensated profession.
Advancing Early Childhood Education as a Profession is an initiative led by Vermont’s early childhood education workforce. Our aim is to create an early childhood education profession in Vermont, aligned with a future national early childhood education profession.
We believe in this vision:
That each and every child, beginning at birth, has the opportunity to benefit from high-quality, affordable early childhood education, delivered by an effective, diverse, well-prepared, and well-compensated workforce.
Raise Your Voice: Advocacy Opportunities
There are many ways VTAEYC members can influence early childhood education policy in Vermont and nationally.
Fill out our Leadership & Advocacy Form to get started.
Policy Committees
VTAEYC members already engaged in advocacy may be invited to join the Policy Committee. This group meets regularly to stay informed and engaged on legislative and policy developments affecting early childhood education.
Leadership Circles
VTAEYC periodically offers Leadership Circles cohorts to emerging leaders. With a focus on personal storytelling, these supportive groups help early childhood educators shape their stories for impact. By invitation: fill out the Leadership & Advocacy Form with interest.
NAEYC Public Policy Forum
As a NAEYC affiliate, VTAEYC engages with national and state policy leaders and fellow advocates on the most important, timely, and relevant early childhood education issues. NAEYC’s annual Public Policy Forum is a multi-day advocacy experience for early childhood educators to strengthen skills and make their voices heard.
Other Opportunities
VTAEYC Exchange Fellows advocate where early childhood intersects with society’s most pressing issues. Learn about the Exchange.
VTAEYC occasionally has volunteer opportunities. Fill out the Leadership & Advocacy Form with interest.
Subscribe to receive Advocacy Updates from VTAEYC.
Vermont Early Childhood Networks are not advocacy groups, but provide opportunities to discuss interest topics with a supportive peer community.
How will you get involved?
Contact us today to discuss the additional ways you can support VTAEYC’s Mission and Vision.