Theo Wells-Spackman is a Report for America corps member who reports for VTDigger.
Vermont has received a nearly $13 million federal grant to strengthen its child care and pre-Kindergarten programs, among other early childhood services, officials said Monday.
The grant comes from the Preschool Development Grant Birth Through Five program in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which has supported parts of Vermont’s early childhood landscape for a decade, advocates said. This year’s award is the largest one-time amount the state has received.
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It’s a separate award from the regular $28 million in funding that Vermont receives via the federal Child Care and Development Fund, monies President Donald Trump’s administration sought to withhold from five Democratic-led states this month. Vermont Department for Children and Families Deputy Commissioner Janet McLaughlin said Monday that the state has not received such warnings, though a memo last week increased her team’s reporting requirements when accessing the funds.
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Both the application process and the birth-through-five grant itself were much more compressed than usual, according to Morgan Crossman, the executive director of the childhood policy nonprofit Building Bright Futures.
“Generally, these grants take three months to write,” she said. “We wrote it in six days.”
A 12-month clock for the funding means that the state will be without the standard window for planning and engaging contractors, Crossman added. Nonetheless, she called the funding “critical” in a year where state lawmakers face especially tough budgeting decisions.
This new allocation will help Vermont build child care capacity, improve data management and facilitate cooperation between state agencies, advocates, and local providers, according to McLaughlin.
“We’re thrilled to have these resources right now,” said McLaughlin, adding that her team was working with “urgency and focus” to “draw down every dollar that we can.”
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The grant comes in a period of fast change for Vermont’s child care ecosystem. The 2023 passage of Act 76 allowed thousands of kids to newly enroll in the state’s expanded child care tuition assistance program, and over 100 new care providers have launched statewide.
But aside from these central investments, McLaughlin said there was a “long list of projects” that could continue to expand and improve the state’s care offerings for young children and families.
Two priorities will be ensuring that child care providers have the business planning assistance necessary to survive or expand, and developing a workforce in Vermont that keeps pace with the industry’s expansion, McLaughlin said.
The state’s focus on workforce will include improvements to data and technology. The grant will allow the state to update its fingerprint-supported background-check system, delays in which have caused years of headaches for child care providers. The upgrades should “dramatically reduce the turnaround times” for checks, McLaughlin said.
Crossman said sharing information effectively between agencies and providers improves the experience of individual families, and also allows her team to do its job monitoring progress in areas like child care coverage, literacy and use of public aid programs. Vermont’s Early Childhood Data and Policy Center, a division of Crossman’s organization, is tasked with making data-based childhood policy recommendations to lawmakers based on such information.
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“We’re making sure that we’re centralizing data and making it publicly available,” Crossman said.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The Vermont Lottery offers several draw games for those willing to make a bet to win big.
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Those who want to play can enter the MegaBucks and Lucky for Life games as well as the national Powerball and Mega Millions games. Vermont also partners with New Hampshire and Maine for the Tri-State Lottery, which includes the Mega Bucks, Gimme 5 as well as the Pick 3 and Pick 4.
Drawings are held at regular days and times, check the end of this story to see the schedule.
Here’s a look at April 22, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Gimme 5 numbers from April 22 drawing
04-15-22-26-35
Check Gimme 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 22 drawing
Day: 4-0-0
Evening: 6-5-6
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 22 drawing
Day: 2-4-0-9
Evening: 9-4-2-8
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Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Megabucks Plus numbers from April 22 drawing
01-02-07-18-31, Megaball: 04
Check Megabucks Plus payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
For Vermont Lottery prizes up to $499, winners can claim their prize at any authorized Vermont Lottery retailer or at the Vermont Lottery Headquarters by presenting the signed winning ticket for validation. Prizes between $500 and $5,000 can be claimed at any M&T Bank location in Vermont during the Vermont Lottery Office’s business hours, which are 8a.m.-4p.m. Monday through Friday, except state holidays.
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For prizes over $5,000, claims must be made in person at the Vermont Lottery headquarters. In addition to signing your ticket, you will need to bring a government-issued photo ID, and a completed claim form.
All prize claims must be submitted within one year of the drawing date. For more information on prize claims or to download a Vermont Lottery Claim Form, visit the Vermont Lottery’s FAQ page or contact their customer service line at (802) 479-5686.
Vermont Lottery Headquarters
1311 US Route 302, Suite 100
Barre, VT
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05641
When are the Vermont Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Gimme 5: 6:55 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
Pick 3 Day: 1:10 p.m. daily.
Pick 4 Day: 1:10 p.m. daily.
Pick 3 Evening: 6:55 p.m. daily.
Pick 4 Evening: 6:55 p.m. daily.
Megabucks: 7:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily
What is Vermont Lottery Second Chance?
Vermont’s 2nd Chance lottery lets players enter eligible non-winning instant scratch tickets into a drawing to win cash and/or other prizes. Players must register through the state’s official Lottery website or app. The drawings are held quarterly or are part of an additional promotion, and are done at Pollard Banknote Limited in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Vermont editor. You can send feedback using this form.
This letter is from Suzanne Kenyon, a resident of St. Albans City.
I am writing today to announce my intention to run for State Representative, Franklin 3 and to graciously ask for the support of our community.
I am a mother, local photographer and have been recently re-elected to a second term on the Maple Run School District’s Board Of Directors.
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With a nest that has grown almost empty, I have have chosen to spend my time continuing to serve my community. Service where you live is the backbone of making a place somewhere that you want to stay.
We still live in a place where neighbors look out for one another. Where an honest day of work matters. I admire that. This City is hometown to many of us, myself included. I would be proud to represent us.
If elected, I will work for the best interests of my constituents, when it comes to matters of Taxes, Education Reform, Housing, Crime and Equality, to name a few. I intend to be a listening ear to every voice and make common sense decisions, the Vermont way.
We deserve practical leadership that puts the needs of the community and its members over party affiliations.
I humbly ask for your support and vote in November.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The Vermont Lottery offers several draw games for those willing to make a bet to win big.
Advertisement
Those who want to play can enter the MegaBucks and Lucky for Life games as well as the national Powerball and Mega Millions games. Vermont also partners with New Hampshire and Maine for the Tri-State Lottery, which includes the Mega Bucks, Gimme 5 as well as the Pick 3 and Pick 4.
Drawings are held at regular days and times, check the end of this story to see the schedule.
Here’s a look at April 21, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Vermont Mega Millions numbers from April 21 drawing
01-36-43-56-58, Mega Ball: 07
Check Vermont Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Gimme 5 numbers from April 21 drawing
02-05-06-18-22
Check Gimme 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 3 numbers from April 21 drawing
Day: 1-9-8
Evening: 6-4-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
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Winning Pick 4 numbers from April 21 drawing
Day: 2-7-2-6
Evening: 8-4-4-2
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
For Vermont Lottery prizes up to $499, winners can claim their prize at any authorized Vermont Lottery retailer or at the Vermont Lottery Headquarters by presenting the signed winning ticket for validation. Prizes between $500 and $5,000 can be claimed at any M&T Bank location in Vermont during the Vermont Lottery Office’s business hours, which are 8a.m.-4p.m. Monday through Friday, except state holidays.
Advertisement
For prizes over $5,000, claims must be made in person at the Vermont Lottery headquarters. In addition to signing your ticket, you will need to bring a government-issued photo ID, and a completed claim form.
All prize claims must be submitted within one year of the drawing date. For more information on prize claims or to download a Vermont Lottery Claim Form, visit the Vermont Lottery’s FAQ page or contact their customer service line at (802) 479-5686.
Vermont Lottery Headquarters
1311 US Route 302, Suite 100
Barre, VT
Advertisement
05641
When are the Vermont Lottery drawings held?
Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Gimme 5: 6:55 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
Pick 3 Day: 1:10 p.m. daily.
Pick 4 Day: 1:10 p.m. daily.
Pick 3 Evening: 6:55 p.m. daily.
Pick 4 Evening: 6:55 p.m. daily.
Megabucks: 7:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily
What is Vermont Lottery Second Chance?
Vermont’s 2nd Chance lottery lets players enter eligible non-winning instant scratch tickets into a drawing to win cash and/or other prizes. Players must register through the state’s official Lottery website or app. The drawings are held quarterly or are part of an additional promotion, and are done at Pollard Banknote Limited in Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Vermont editor. You can send feedback using this form.
