Private Equity Has Its Eyes on the Child-Care Industry
As states and the federal government pour money into early education, how will they keep a public good from becoming a private cash cow?
Updated at 1:30 p.m. ET on February 22, 2024.
Last June, years of organizing in Vermont paid off when the state’s House and Senate passed landmark legislation—overriding a governor’s earlier veto—that invests $125 million a year into its child-care system. The bill expanded eligibility for state assistance to 575 percent of the federal poverty level, meaning that more than 7,000 new families are expected to receive money for child-care expenses. Funding will also become available to help day-care centers recruit and retain teachers and expand capacity; centers will also receive additional money
