Act 166 Information
What does it
do?
Act 166 now mandates funding for 10 hours of universal pre-K for all 3 to 5-year-olds in Vermont in a prequalified program for 35 weeks in a school year. Regardless of parental income or circumstance, all children who are age 3-5 on or before 9/1/24 are eligible to receive high quality early learning experiences. For 2024/25 the Act 166 funding is equal to $3884 per child.
Find out more about Prequalified Programs HERE
Why does VT
need Act 166?
When is my child
eligible?
Recognizes Early Years as critically important!
Early Childhood education is a profession, and teachers who train to understand development in the early years know that 80% of the brain architecture before age 5 is being built before our eyes as synapses are formed, strengthened and pruned according to the quality of the stimulation, problem solving and positive interactions the child is exposed to.
Encourages high quality Early Care and Education
The Let's Grow Kids Campaign has campaigned for high quality early care and education and Act 166 provides that the Grant is only used for tuition in those programs that meet some stringent Quality requirements.
Makes Early-Care affordable for VT families
​Reduces the cost of high-quality education by at least 25% for full-time and more for part-time programs (if equal to at least 10 hours/week)
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If your child is 3, 4 or 5 on or before September 1, you are eligible for support under Act 166. This includes when your child is 5 years of age and you wish to defer your child entering Kindergarten. A VT Agency of Education memo HERE further clarifies that Act 166 will apply as long as the child has not attended or subsequently unenrolls in Kindergarten. Merely registering for Kindergarten does not prevent your child later qualifying for Act 166 support.
How can I recognize a Quality Early Care Program?
"High quality experiences for 3-5 year olds are play-based and are created through an intentional framework which includes highly trained, licensed teachers, a rich environment with manipulatives, natural materials and books full of print, numbers, pictures and stories"
Where can we use the funds?
All Vermont School Districts are mandated to offer Act 166 funds in 2024/2025
​Unless you live in a School District that has chosen to create an Act 166 "Regions" -- limiting parents to use funds only in programs within its School District --- you can use the funds in any prequalified program EVEN IF THE PROGRAM IS OUTSIDE YOUR HOME DISTRICT.
How do I get information from the School Districts?
Burlington School District offers publicly Funded Prekindergarten
South Burlington offers publicly funded Prekindergarten
Champlain Valley School District (formerly CSSU) Offers Publicly Funded Prekindergarten for children between the ages of 3 and 5 who reside in the towns of: Charlotte, Hinesburg, Shelburne, St. George and Williston
Essex Westford School District (formerly Chittenden Central Supervisory Union and Essex Town Districts) offers Publicly Funded Prekindergarten Education (Act 166) in private preschools for children between the ages of 3 and 5 who reside in the towns of Essex Town, Essex Junction and Westford
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Mount Mansfield Modified Chittenden East Supervisory Union offers Act 166 for families in Bolton, Huntington, Jericho, Richmond and Underhill.
The Colchester School District offers publicly funded Pre-Kindergarten for children between the ages of 3 and 5 who reside in the Town of Colchester
Mount Abraham Unified School District (formerly Addison Northeast) offers publicly funded Pre-Kindergarten for children between the ages of 3 and 5 who reside in Bristol, Lincoln, Monkton, New Haven, and Starksboro.
Addison County PreK offers publicly funded Pre-Kindergarten for children between the ages of 3 and 5 who reside in
Addison Central SD: Bridport, Cornwall, Middlebury, Ripton, Salisbury, Shoreham, Weybridge
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How can I register?
Application Forms for each District
