State officials review Act 76 pre-K implementation report; committee backs keeping 10-hour weekly benefit and starting expansion with 4-year-olds

State education and human services officials and early childhood stakeholders briefed the House Education Committee this morning on the report of the Pre‑K Education Implementation Committee created by Act 76, the 2023 childcare and pre‑K expansion law. The committee’s report — submitted to the Legislature on or before Dec. 1, 2024 — recommends maintaining the current 10‑hour weekly publicly funded pre‑K benefit and beginning any expansion with 4‑year‑olds while asking for more financial analysis before adopting a specific statewide implementation plan.

The report matters because Act 76 directs the state to expand pre‑K “on or before 07/01/2026,” including options for delivering services through public schools, contracts with private providers, or both. Katie McLennan, Legislative Council, summarized the statutory charge: “The pre k program under consideration would require a school district to provide pre k education to all children within the district in either a public school or by contract with private providers or both.” The committee was also asked to examine the minimum hours that should constitute a full day and infrastructure, special education, capacity, and cost implications of expansion.

Officials described Vermont’s current mixed‑delivery Universal Pre‑K (UPK) system as publicly funded, portable and inclusive for 3‑ and 4‑year‑olds, and noted differences from K‑12 rules on full‑day definitions. Beth St. James, Office of Legislative Counsel, explained the existing attendance rule in Title 16 that lets districts set school‑day hours within a state minimum: “For the minimum hours for a kindergarten program to be considered a full day is a minimum…