Burlington

Since 2018, through the City of Burlington’s Early Learning Initiative (ELI) Capacity Grant Program, child care providers have been eligible for grant funding for construction and capital improvements to public or commercial buildings so that they can serve more infants and toddlers. The ELI grants fund projects that increase the availability of high-quality infant and toddler child care slots for children from Burlington families of all income levels. From 2018 to 2022, the Capacity Grant program awarded $785,000 to help create three new child care centers, support construction and capital improvements, and stabilize 166 enrolled spots at high-quality child care centers.  The ELI has increased access to high-quality child care for low-income Burlington children by providing scholarships and creating additional spots in high-quality childcare programs in Burlington for children from birth to three years old. The Capacity Grants are a component of that effort, focused on increasing the number of infant and toddler child care slots available in the City of Burlington. The ELI was founded in 2017 to help all Burlingtonians access high-quality, affordable child care, specifically for infants and toddlers. ELI achieves this by (1) giving direct financial support to families in need through the First Steps Scholarship, and (2) supporting childcare centers in individual and organizational learning. LEARN MORE: BURLINGTON EARLY LEARNING INITIATIVE Sources: City of Burlington Early Learning Initiative. (n.d.). Programs for Child Care Providers. City of Burlington Early Learning Initiative. (2021). Capacity Grant Application.

The First Steps Training Program, offered since the fall of 2023 by the City of Burlington’s Business & Workforce Development Office and Let’s Grow Kids, provides free training to Burlington residents with a high school diploma or GED who are interested in a career caring for infants and toddlers. The program consists of a 45-hour training series designed to build foundational knowledge of child development and promote the teaching and caregiving skills needed to work with groups of children, including curriculum development for infant and toddler classrooms and emergency response training. Classes are sponsored by the Community College of Vermont and include Pediatric First Aid & CPR Training, résumé and application guidance, and courses that highlight diversity, equity, and inclusion in early childhood education. The program is fully funded through the City of Burlington’s Early Learning Initiative (ELI), and is free to participants, who are eligible for a $1000 bonus awarded in full after completing the entire program. Prorated bonuses are offered for those who miss pieces of the training (e.g., DEI training). Employees of First Steps Scholarship partner programs may receive training without fully enrolling in the program. The City of Burlington’s Early Learning Initiative was founded in 2017 to help all Burlingtonians access high-quality, affordable child care, specifically for infants and toddlers. ELI achieves this by (1) giving direct financial support to families in need through the First Steps Scholarship, and (2) supporting childcare centers in individual and organizational learning. LEARN MORE: burlington early learning initiative Sources: City of Burlington Early Learning Initiative. (n.d.). Programs for Child Care Providers. City of Burlington Early Learning Initiative. (2023). Annual Report.