Vermont Business Magazine A partnership between Let’s Grow Kids, Vermont Birth to Five and Casella Waste Systems was recently recognized in a national report from Child Care Aware of America, one of the country’s leading voices advocating for a child care system that effectively serves all children and families. The report, called “The US and the High Cost of Child Care: A Review of Prices and Proposed Solutions for a Broken System,” references Vermont’s child care crisis and how it impacts the employees of Casella Waste Systems, located in Rutland County.
According to statewide advocacy campaign Let’s Grow Kids, in Rutland, 63 percent of infants likely to need care do not have access to any regulated child care programs and 87 percent don’t have access to high-quality child care programs. The fact that most programs in the area are not open before 7 AM or after 6 PM exacerbates the problem for some Casella employees.
Casella realized that access to child care was key to reducing absenteeism among their workforce. The company partnered with Let’s Grow Kids and its sister initiative, Vermont Birth to Five—a nonprofit organization working to increase the quality, sustainability and viability of child care across the state—to find a solution. What emerged from the partnership was a pilot program in which Casella offers child care scholarships to employees who spend more than 10 percent of their income on child care. The company also helps educate employees about high-quality care. Additionally, Vermont Birth to Five provided a grant and technical assistance to a cohort of child care programs in Rutland this year, helping them create new slots for additional children and improve the quality of existing programming in the area.
“More and more, Vermont businesses are realizing that they can take initiative in curbing the negative impacts the state’s child care shortage has on employee retention and productivity,” said Emily Blistein, director of business strategy for Let’s Grow Kids. “By considering family-friendly policies such as flexible hours or the ability to work from home, or by offering FSAs or child care scholarships, businesses are becoming a crucial part of the solution. We’re proud that Casella was nationally recognized for its leadership in supporting working families.”
“At Casella, our ability to thrive as a company depends on our employees’ ability to show up and succeed at work. All Vermont businesses have a role to play in supporting a robust workforce that encourages young Vermonters to stay, allows parents to fully participate in the workplace, and builds a skilled, stable workforce for our collective future,” said John Casella, founder & CEO of Casella.
Child Care Aware of America’s report commends such early childhood and business partnerships as “beneficial to both the child care and the business community.” To read more of the 2018 report, visit: http://usa.childcareaware.org/advocacy-public-policy/resources/research/costofcare/(link is external).
About Let’s Grow Kids
Let’s Grow Kids is a statewide public awareness and advocacy campaign designed to educate the public about the need for more high-quality, affordable child care in Vermont and to build public will for sustainable increased public investments in high-quality, affordable child care to better support our children, families, communities and economy. Let’s Grow Kids is an initiative of the Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children, a privately funded nonprofit whose mission is to ensure all Vermont families have affordable access to high-quality child care by 2025. Learn more at www.letsgrowkids.org(link is external).
About Vermont Birth to Five
Vermont Birth to Five (VB5) is a statewide initiative staffed by experienced early childhood professionals who work community by community to increase the availability of high-quality child care. Through close collaboration with statewide and community organizations, VB5 directly engages child care providers and early educators in projects designed to increase capacity and improve program quality and sustainability. VB5 is an initiative of the Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children, a privately funded nonprofit whose mission is to ensure all Vermont families have affordable access to high-quality child care by 2025. Learn more at http://vermontbirthtofive.org/(link is external).
About Casella Waste Systems, Inc.
Casella Waste Systems, Inc., headquartered in Rutland, Vermont, provides solid waste management services consisting of collection, transfer, disposal, and recycling services in the northeastern United States. www.casella.com(link is external).
Source: Burlington, VT and Rutland, VT (December 10, 2018) – Let’s Grow Kids