Although Vermont is a relatively small state in terms of size and population (ranked as the 49th most populous state, only falling in behind Wyoming), it nevertheless offers great child care services to the inhabitants of the state. With a total population of about 620,000, Vermont has about 32,500 children under the age of 4, and about 48,000 children between the ages of 5 and 11. Furthermore, there are a total of about 70,500 families, 32% of which are single-parent families and 12% of which are impoverished.
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Of the total 26,800 children in need of childcare throughout the state, about 18,000 live in two-parent households where both parents work; about 8,600 children live in a single-parent household with that parent working. As can be seen, a relatively large number of children and families require child care assistance in order to take care of their children both physically and financially.
It is fortunate, then, that the state boasts within its borders a total of about 672 child care centers, as well as 991 family child care homes. These combined child care establishments can service a total of 34,500 children, which accounts for more than the number of children in the state needing care (which is much better than too few).
Compared with the cost of sending someone to a public university in Vermont (which averages at about $12,500 per year), it only costs an average of $9,300 to send an infant to a child care center, with a lower rate of $7,200 for sending that same infant to a family child care home. For children ages four and up, this cost decreases to $8,500 in a center and $6,700 in a home. Compared with the average family income in the state, this could account for 12% of the annual salaries for a married couple and 36% of the annual salary for a single mother. For this reason, about 3,300 families, 4,800 children, and 2,600 service providers receive financial assistance to pay for the cost of receiving child care support from the state.
Compared with the national average salary, Vermont child care workers score slightly higher, at about $22,500 per year. For the 1,520 childcare workers, the state provides many annual training sessions to ensure that the quality of the child care being received is optimal.
