Leahy promotes child care plan

BENNINGTON - Sen. Patrick Leahy visited Southwestern Vermont Health Care Wednesday, August 18, to announce his support of the hospital’s proposed expansion of their child care center. Leahy, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, included a request for $750,000 to support child care expansion in Bennington in his 2021 congressionally-directed spending requests.
Bennington County suffers from a lack of child care availability. According to Let’s Grow Kids, Bennington needs 555 additional child care spaces and 132 additional early educators to meet the needs of its families. The need is particularly acute for infants, 61% of whom do not have access to a regulated child care facility. The lack of child care is a significant barrier for local businesses as they seek to hire and retain workers.
With its proposed project, SVHC is seeking to address the child care shortage, which impacts its employees, patients, and community. The hospital currently operates a 59-slot facility, which they aim to significantly expand with the requested funding. The funding is contingent on final passage of the fiscal year 2022 federal appropriations bills.
As appropriations chairman, Leahy led in restoring the practice of funding specific community projects through the annual appropriations bills that fund the federal government.