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House Human Services hears testimony on implementing Act 73, weighing mixed-delivery pre-K and equity
Summary
Committee members and administration witnesses debated whether to preserve Vermont's mixed public-private UPK delivery, how to equalize payment between school-based and community providers, and whether 3-year-olds should remain in pre-K as funding and JFO data are reviewed.
The House Human Services committee on Tuesday reviewed testimony and questions about implementing Act 73 and the state's Universal Pre-K (UPK) design, focusing on equity of access, funding differences between public and private providers, and the potential consequences of changing which ages or hours the program covers.
Chair opened the session by laying out the committee's central questions: should the state keep a mixed delivery system of public and private providers; how to increase geographic access in underserved areas such as the Northeast Kingdom ("only 11% of eligible children" currently have access, the Chair said); whether the state can expand pre-K hours without raising Education Fund costs; and whether UPK should cover both 3- and 4-year-olds.
Jenna McL…
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