FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Suzanne Arnold, [email protected], (609) 610-4957

Washington, D.C. (January 24, 2020) – Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) commends Governor Phil Scott’s funding proposals for Vermont’s child care and home visiting programs. Governor Scott proposed a $3 million increase in funding for child care assistance programs and a $1 million increase in funding for newborn home visiting programs.

Mark Shriver, President of SCAN, a bipartisan advocacy organization focusing on access to high-quality early learning, said: “I sincerely commend Governor Scott for focusing on the critical early years of a child’s life through increased investment in child care assistance and home visiting. Most of a child’s brain is developed by the age of 5 years old. Therefore, I applaud Governor Scott for ensuring that Vermont’s kids have the best start in life.”

During his budget address, Governor Scott stressed: “We know the benefits of accessible, affordable childcare for parents, kids and our economy, which is why we’ve worked together to increase funding by 30%—about $10 million—over the last three years, and these investments are working. Let’s build on this success with an additional $3 million for childcare assistance, and let’s also expand the lottery and commit these new revenues to this initiative each year moving forward.”

“Such early education programs are crucial to the lives and futures of not only children, but also of Vermont as a state. As the governor rightly mentioned in his address, child care programs, specifically, have tremendous impact on the local economy,” Shriver continued.

SCAN is working with local advocates, partners and policymakers to ensure that Vermont’s children are prioritized through support of the governor’s budget proposal.

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Save the Children Action Network is the political voice for kids. We believe that every child deserves the best start in life. As the political advocacy arm of Save the Children, we’re building bipartisan will and voter support to make sure every child in the U.S. has access to high-quality early learning, that the U.S. takes a leadership role in serving the most marginalized and deprived children globally and that children arriving at our southern border are respected and humanely treated. By investing in kids and holding leaders accountable, we are helping children everywhere survive and thrive. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.