People create the economy, and the economy depends on us, so it should serve us. A strong economy is one that enables people, families, and communities to live with stability, dignity, and opportunity. Because what is an economy good for if children, families – all people – aren’t thriving?

• Universal Paid Leave

  Childcare, elder care, and family caregiving are part of the foundation that allows communities to grow and flourish.Without universal paid leave, over 70% of Vermont workers are one family or medical emergency away from losing their pay – and for some, even their job. 80% of Vermonters support a universal paid family and medical leave program, and over a dozen states have their own programs. We invest in roads and schools because society depends on them. Care for children, self, and family deserve the same recognition as a system communities rely on every day.

  Q: Do you support establishing a universal, equitable paid leave program in Vermont? If so, what steps will you take to achieve this goal if you are elected?

  Learn more about the Vermont Paid Leave Coalition at www.vtpaidleave.org

• Economic Inequality 

  The majority of one-adult households with children fall short of meeting the basic needs threshold established by the state. Meanwhile, the top 10 percent continue to have a larger share of Vermont's total income. Four out of five Vermonters support increasing taxes on wealthy individuals and large corporations because too many are struggling to make ends meet. We want to build a future that works for everyone and funds the social safety net.

  Q: How should state policy address the rising gap between wages and the cost of housing, child care, health care, and food?

  Learn more about Fair Share Vermont at www.fairsharevt.org

The ability to plan for tomorrow is a core measure of economic health. A strong economy gives families room to breathe, to pay bills, care for kids, and look ahead. The real measure of a strong economy is not based on profits, but whether people are thriving today.  When everyday life feels unstable, the economy is failing its most important job.

• Baby Bonds

  The Vermont Office of the State Treasurer is launching the First Forward pilot project in the Northeast Kingdom that would support Vermont families eligible for Medicaid with a cash investment, free diapers and newborn accessories, and direct cash payments through the child’s first year of life. Research shows that programs like this can help stabilize a family’s immediate needs and help them save for the baby’s future.

  Q: Would you support expanding this program statewide?

• Federal Benefits Gap

  Financial security and safe communities provide children with greater access to stable housing, healthy foods, health care, and educational opportunities. Since 2025, many Vermont residents who are immigrants are facing increased financial insecurity, including lost access to Medicaid and SNAP benefits with the federal passage of H.R. 1.

  Q: If elected, what would you do to ensure immigrant families have equitable and timely access to resources and support that allow them to achieve economic security for their family?

• Cash Assistance

  It is not in the state’s interest to hold thousands of kids in deep poverty. And yet, the maximum monthly Reach Up grant for a parent with two children living in poverty is $880. This is less than half of the poverty threshold and includes just $268 for a housing allowance, which is based on housing costs from 2001. Reach Up is not automatically adjusted for inflation each year, so the benefit becomes less and less valuable.

  Q: What solutions would you propose to lift the more than 6000 Vermont children out of poverty?

• Community Schools

  Our public schools are the heart of Vermont’s communities. They bring people together around a shared commitment: helping every child learn, grow, and thrive. Around the state, schools are responding to the shifting education landscape by adopting an innovative, holistic, student-centered and community-based approach to teaching and learning known as "community schools." Success of the model is driven by the role of the Community Schools Coordinator. In grant-funded pilot districts community schools are closing equity gaps, reducing chronic absenteeism, and expanding work-based and place-based learning. Community schools are the future of public education in Vermont.

  Q: Do you have thoughts on how the state could support expansion of this approach to every student in the state?

  Learn more about Vermont Community Schools at Catamount Community Schools Collaborative

• Public Education Funding

  Vermonters support our public schools. We don’t want cuts or school consolidation forced on our communities. The most pressing problem with education funding isn’t how much we spend; it’s that low-and middle-income Vermont taxpayers are subsidizing the richest and that schools are taking on student’s mental health needs and other costs,outside of schools districts’ control. Vermonters want to maintain the balance between state and local control and have a say in substantial changes in their local schools.

  Q: What do you see as the next steps in reforming education funding in Vermont?

• Young People

  An estimated one in every five young adults in Vermont aged 18-24 live in poverty, and young people aging out of foster care are even more likely to be unemployed or unhoused.

  Q: What steps should Vermont take to support the economic security of youth transitioning to adulthood?

  Q: What policy changes would you support that would systemically make our state affordable for young people to stay and raise their families here?

  Find more statistics on children, youth and families in Vermont from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Voices for Vermont's Children manages the national Kids Count data center for Vermont. (datacenter.aecf.org)