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NOVEMBER 14, 2024
WILLISTON’S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1985
CVU caps undefeated state title run
WWW.WILLISTONOBSERVER.COM
Celebrating the fruits of Act 76
Williston child care center buoyed by ‘game-changing’ state investment BY JASON STARR Observer staff
CVU football players, above, celebrate a dominant, undefeated season ending in a state championship win over Rutland on Saturday in St. Johnsbury. Below, CVU coach Rahn Fleming celebrates his team’s state title, a feeling he described as “pure and unmitigated joy.” PHOTOS BY PAUL LAMONTAGNE/VTSPORTSIMAGES.COM
Fleming: ‘pure and unmitigated joy’ BY LAUREN READ Sports Correspondent The mantra the CVU football team has been repeating all season — “play 11 and win the last one” — had the team focused on Saturday’s Division I state championship game. In a season that saw the Redhawks steamroll over most of the competition, they still had one more game to win if they wanted to accomplish their ultimate goal — a crowning as Di-
vision-I state champions. “This group of players and coaches has been together for the last two, three, four years,” said CVU coach Rahn Fleming. “We’ve been investing in ourselves as individuals and one another as a team over all that time.” That investment paid off as CVU capped off an undefeated 11-0 season with a 41-14 win over Rutland on Saturday in St. Johnsbury to capture the prosee REDHAWKS page 16
When a law like Act 76 is passed, which unleashed transformative funding for early childhood care and education in Vermont, it takes time for the investment to reach the people it’s aimed at helping. Act 76 went into effect in June of 2023. A year and a half later, advocates, professionals and the parents they serve are heralding the impact the law is having on the industry, the community and the economy. Caryl Jaques has leaned on the promise of Act 76 funding to either open or take over three child care centers in Chittenden County in the past two years. In August, she began accepting infants, toddlers and preschoolers at the new Little Ones University on Blair Park Road in Williston. According to Let’s Grow Kids CEO Aly Richards, a leading advocate for passage of the law, the state has seen about 40 new child care centers open in just over one year, amounting to about 1,000 new spots for children. Increased employee pay has attracted about 260 new teachers to the industry, she said, and increased subsidies along with relaxed income eligibility has lowered the cost of care for about 7,000 families. “Think about the profound im-
pact that’s going to have, because kids get what they need, families get what they need and (parents) can go back to work,” Richards said. She made the comments during an event at the Little Ones University location in Williston that brought together advocates, parents and legislators to highlight the impact of the law.
Caryl Jaques plays with children at Little Ones University, a first-year child care center on Blair Park Road. OBSERVER PHOTO BY JASON STARR
Twincraft Skincare Vice President Michelle Asch spoke about the boost a stable child care ecosystem will have on the state’s economy. A growing contract manufacturer of soaps and skincare products, the company is in the process of moving into the former Keurig building in Williston. “We’ve hired over 180 people in the last 18 months,” said Asch, who volunteers on the Let’s Grow Kids board of directors. The subsidies in Act 76 have made it easier for Twincraft to resee CHILD CARE page 5
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