H.97 - What Does It Do? H.

97 gives child care workers the right to join together, if they so choose, and bargain with the state on issues that the state controls (i.e., subsidy and professional development) Child care providers will be partners in improving the quality of child care by advocating together for issues of common interest. H.97 differs from traditional collective bargaining related to workplace issues Child care providers will negotiate with the state over subsidy rates and professional development opportunities H.97 recognizes the value of child care providers of Vermont children The child care services a child receives before school age has a profound effect on future mental, psychological and academic success. Quality child care lays vital groundwork for the success of Vermont children. Consistency in providers (there is currently a 40% turnover rate of child care providers in Vermont) is of paramount importance in the development and future success of young children. Policy decisions will improve by having the experts who do the work in the field at the table to make decisions in partnership with the state. H.97 creates an effective mechanism to reach out to groups of relatively low-wage working people (mostly women) to have a real impact in developing improvements to child care in Vermont H.97 will create the mechanism for the state to receive input from providers, and to incorporate that input into policy and practice. A more stable and better trained workforce will enable providers to better support children and their families. Other States Experiences Providers have worked with states to successfully increase access for low-income parents and stabilize their own incomes through negotiated subsidy policies. Providers have seen enhanced professional development and training opportunities and peer-support programs. H.97 What Does It Not Do? H.97 does not automatically cost the state anything. H.97 does not reduce the amount of subsidy reimbursement for families. H.97 does not create any new state employees. H.97 does not force anyone to join a union. H.97 does not have any impact on tuition rate increases for families. H.97 will increase, not decrease, the quality of child care services