2026 Vermont Early Childhood Wage and Fringe Benefit Comparability Report

To better understand—and help address—any compensation disparities among Vermont’s early care and education (ECE) workforce across settings, ages of children served, and roles, Vermont’s Head Start Collaboration Office (VHSCO) is partnering with Child Trends to understand the current landscape of wages and benefits. This project uses primary data collection (i.e., a survey of the ECE workforce) and existing data sources to conduct a comparative analysis of the wages and benefits received by Vermont’s ECE workforce, with a focus on comparing compensation between Head Start staff and public preschool and kindergarten staff. Child Trends conducted an online survey of staff who regularly work with children in licensed or registered ECE programs, including center-based child care programs (CBCCPP), family child care (FCC) programs, preschool and kindergarten classrooms in public schools, Head Start (HS) and Early Head Start (EHS) programs, and Universal Prekindergarten (UPK) programs across these settings. The survey included questions about wages and salaries, fringe benefits (e.g., insurance, paid time off, financial supports), professional characteristics, and demographics. A total of 732 respondents were included in our final survey sample.

This report summarizes the findings and recommendations from the comparative analyses.

Key findings

1. ECE wages vary substantially by setting, especially for preschool and kindergarten teachers. Overall, EHS/HS had lower wages than public school staff but higher wages than CBCCPP staff in similar roles. Preschool and kindergarten teachers in public schools had the highest reported wages among teaching roles, followed by HS preschool teachers, with CBCCPP preschool teachers reporting significantly lower wages.
2. EHS infant/toddler teachers earned significantly more than infant/toddler teachers in CBCCPP settings.
3. FCC providers reported wide income variation and access to very few benefits. FCC program owners reported that, on average, about 60 percent of their household income comes from their FCC program, and their estimated annual FCC income ranged from $12,000 to $150,000, or an average of $60, 511.
4. Access to benefits is strongest in EHS/HS and public school settings. Staff in these settings were much more likely than CBCCPP staff to report access to health, dental, and vision insurance, as well as better access to paid time off and financial supports, including retirement contributions, tuition reimbursement, and professional development supports. However, CBCCPP staff were most likely to receive free or reduced-price child care through their employer.

• • There were some differences between the benefits provided to EHS/HS and public school staff. EHS/HS staff reported more access to retirement benefits and more paid holidays and vacation time than their public school counterparts. Assistant teachers and aides in EHS/HS reported greater overall access to benefits compared to staff serving in similar roles in public school. Preschool and kindergarten teachers in public schools reported more paid family and medical leave and tuition or course reimbursement compared to HS preschool teachers.

Overall, the findings suggest that the greatest variability in wages in Vermont’s ECE sector was among preschool and kindergarten teachers across settings, with public school preschool and kindergarten teachers earning the highest wages. EHS/HS and public school staff receive comparable benefits, with some differences: CBCCPP staff tend to receive lower wages and fewer benefits, with the notable exception of child care discounts.