State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: Vermont

•    Income eligibility limit: In 2010, a family of three in Vermont could qualify for child care assistance with an annual income up to $36,600 (200 percent of poverty, 59 percent of state median income).

•    Waiting list: Vermont had no waiting list for child care assistance as of February 2010.     

•    Parent copayments: In 2010, a family of three with an income at 100 percent of poverty ($18,310 a year) receiving child care assistance had no copayment. A family of three with an income at 150 percent of poverty ($27,465 a year) receiving child care assistance paid $224 per month, or 10 percent of its income in copayments.

•    Reimbursement rates: In 2010, Vermont’s reimbursement rates for child care providers serving families receiving child care assistance were below the federally recommended level—the 75th percentile of current market rates, which is the level designed to give families access to 75 percent of the providers in their community.
o    Vermont’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old was $169, or 23 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.
o    Vermont’s monthly reimbursement rate for center care for a one-year-old was $178, or 23 percent, below the 75th percentile of current market rates for this type of care.

•    Tiered reimbursement rates: In 2010, Vermont paid higher reimbursement rates for higher-quality care.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old at the highest quality tier was 40 percent higher than the rate at the lowest quality tier.
o    The reimbursement rate for center care for a four-year-old in at the highest quality tier was above the 75th percentile of current market rates.

•    Eligibility for parents searching for a job: In 2010, Vermont allowed parents to qualify for or continue receiving child care assistance for up to 30 days while searching for a job.¹ 

¹The amount of time parents can receive child care assistance while searching for a job can be extended.

Source: Karen Schulman and Helen Blank, State Child Care Assistance Policies 2010: New Federal Funds Help States Weather the Storm (Washington, DC: National Women’s Law Center, 2010). These data reflect policies as of February 2010, unless otherwise indicated.