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Witnesses tell Senate committee licensure in S.119 would strengthen early childhood workforce
Summary
Six witnesses told the Senate Committee on Government Operations on March 28 that creating an early childhood educator licensure pathway (S.119) would professionalize the workforce, reduce turnover and improve child outcomes; testimony included workforce data and examples from Vermont classrooms, family child care and higher education programs.
Senate Committee on Government Operations members heard testimony Friday, March 28, on S.119 and related Office of Professional Regulation (OPR) recommendations to establish an early childhood educator licensure pathway in Vermont.
The testimony focused on workforce retention, training pathways and business viability for child care providers, with witnesses saying licensure would recognize professional preparation across settings and make it easier for educators to move between family child care, center and public school roles.
Elora Zargo, a senior enrolled in the early childhood education program at the Wyndham Regional Career Technical Center in Brattleboro, told the committee she completed required coursework and youth-apprenticeship experience and said the occupation is “much more than just playing.” She said licensure would signal that people doing the work “are serious about it and have the knowledge that they need to succeed and to help the children succeed.”
Kim Freeman, early childhood instructor at the Wyndham Regional Career Technical Center, said her students earn dual-enrollment college credits and that the proposed OPR recommendations would “elevate this profession” and support workforce retention. “Being nurturing, being a caring, warm person is essential to this work, but quality early childhood education hinges on preparation,” Freeman said.
Chris Nelson, owner of Mountain View Child Care in North Troy, testified that an individual licensure system that works alongside Agency of Education (AOE) teacher licensure would allow professionals to move between settings without restarting their careers. “Quality is not determined by the door you walk into,” Nelson said, urging the committee to view educator qualifications rather than facility type as the quality metric.
Erin Roche of First Children’s Finance summarized cost-modeling and financial analysis the organization provided to the Child Development Division. Roche said staffing comprises roughly 77% of an average center’s expenses (about 57% classroom staff and 20% non-classroom staff) and cited modeled annual child-care cost ranges from roughly $12,500 for preschool at a large center to about $30,000 for infant care at a small center. Roche also reported wage survey results showing average top teacher wages at about $24.94 per hour and bottom averages near $20.27; assistant-teacher averages ranged from about $17.84 to $20.05 an hour. Roche said models show modest profit in several settings largely because of Act 76, and described capacity-building grants and HUD and state-funded supports that have been used to stabilize and expand providers.
Caitlin Northey, associate professor at the University of Vermont, described how higher-education preparation and the AOE licensure system currently interact. Northey said institutions award degrees and program coursework that do not always translate cleanly into AOE licensure because licensure pathways vary by institution and program. She and other witnesses argued that a stackable, cross-setting set of credentials tied to S.119 would create clearer pathways for students and working educators and improve placement and mentorship in field experiences.
Megan Mezkatt, director of early childhood education for the Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union, described coordination between public pre-K classrooms and community-based providers for children with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Mezkatt said consistent qualifications across settings support carryover of interventions and make teams more effective for children receiving special-education services.
Committee members asked witnesses about reciprocity with AOE licensure, differences among ECE 1–3 pathways, the role of dual enrollment and early-college credits, the influence of Act 76 on provider finances, and how public school pre-K (often half-day) intersects with full-day community programs. No formal vote or committee action on S.119 was recorded during the testimony session.
The committee scheduled additional witnesses for the same agenda and indicated a planned later segment with the State Ethics Commission to close the day.
