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No. 76 Page 19 of 74 2023

VT LEG #371318 v.1 Sec. 8. READINESS PAYMENTS; CHILD CARE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM (a)(1) In fiscal year 2024, $20,000,000.00 is appropriated one time from the General Fund to the Department for Children and Families’ Child Development Division for the purpose of providing payments to child care providers, as defined in 33 V.S.A. § 3511, delivering child care services to children, in preparation of the Child Care Financial Assistance Program eligibility expansion in Sec. 5a of this act and for the fiscal year 2024 provider rate adjustment in Sec. 6 of this act. Readiness payments may be used for the following: (A) increasing capacity for infants and toddlers; (B) expanding the number of family child care homes; (C) improving child care facilities; (D) preparing private prequalified providers for future changes in the prekindergarten system; (E) expanding hours of operation to provide full-day, full-week child care services; (F) addressing gaps in services and expanding capacity; (G) increasing workforce capacity, including signing and retention bonuses; and (H) any other uses approved by the Commissioner. (2) Of the funds appropriated in subdivision (1) of this subsection, up to