MONTPELIER — Vermont’s parent child centers are looking to make up for lost time, and it appears lawmakers are willing to help — at least in part.
The House-approved version of the fiscal year 2020 budget includes a $1 million allocation to allow the network of 15 nonprofit centers catch up on years of infrastructure and maintenance needs.
But administrators say their operational funding remains tenuous, and there’s a proposal to cut a key contract with the state. They’re now taking their case to the Senate, where they’re asking for additional help.
“We hope there is an understanding that (parent child centers) do prevention work, and we do it well,” said Amy Johnson, program manager of the parent child center at Northwestern Counseling and Support Services in St. Albans.
Parent child centers focus on families with young children, and their work includes home visits, early childhood services, parent education, playgroups and parent support groups. They also refer families for other services. The emphasis is on prevention and early intervention work.
“In each region, we understand the landscape. We understand the families. We have a finger on the pulse of what’s going on,” Johnson said. “So our programming is somewhat diverse based on the needs of the community.”
There are no income requirements for receiving assistance at parent child centers.
“We have targeted supports based on need, but then we have universal programming for anybody who needs it,” Johnson said.
But money is tight. Advocates say parent child centers rely in part on a “master grant” contract with the state that does not fully fund state-required services, resulting in staff wages and benefits that are about 30 percent below market rates.
“As it stands now, nearly 100 staff have left in the past three years for jobs with higher pay and benefits,” Johnson told the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Friday. “This brain drain not only affects our centers but our families as well.”
The centers’ “difficult decisions,” Johnson said, also have included delaying “needed improvements to our buildings, grounds, data systems, classrooms, kitchens, professional development systems and beyond.”
The nonprofits have asked lawmakers to consider support for facility improvements. A proposed $1 million for “infrastructure improvements” in next fiscal year’s budget addresses some of that list. The centers are asking senators to boost that one-time funding to $1.5 million.
“It’s a lot of stuff that we’ve had to defer for years because of underfunding,” said Margot Holmes, executive director of the Springfield Area Parent Child Center.
Holmes and Johnson also asked the committee to support the House’s approximately $1.2 million boost in the state’s master grant agreement with parent child centers. That money could allow centers to raise wages and alleviate staff turnover, Johnson said.
While the master grant contract is a small part of the centers’ budget, “it’s the most flexible of our funding,” Holmes said. “It allows us to meet the needs of our specific communities.”
In her community, that includes needs that may be created by struggling Springfield Hospital.
“We are one of the most impoverished areas of the state. We have a hospital that is struggling to keep its doors open, and we now have a child birth center that will no longer exist in our local area, the ripple effects of which we have only begun to realize,” Holmes said.