A smiling couple holds their baby up in the air; the mom and baby have light skin and brown hair and the dad has light brown skin and black hair

When we work together,
children shine

Building Bright Futures (BBF) works to improve the well-being of young children and families in Vermont. The BBF Network includes 12 Regional Councils, seven VECAP Committees, and the State Advisory Council.

The State Advisory Council advises the Governor and Legislature on the well-being of children in the prenatal period through age 8 and their families. BBF maintains Vermont’s Early Childhood Action Plan (VECAP), the vision and strategic plan for Vermont’s early childhood system.

Track Legislation Related to Children & Families

The State of Vermont’s Children: 2024 Year in Review

2025 Policy Recommendations & Playbook

Upcoming Events

All Vermont parents and caregivers are invited to join Families and Communities Committee meetings on Zoom and to learn more about family leadership. Most BBF events are virtual and open to the public.

Thank you for your commitment to strengthening the early childhood system and improving the well-being of Vermont’s children and their families.

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Three children, two of them taller and the one in the middle smaller, holding hands outdoors, their backs to the camera

BBF Urges Action as Federal Budget Threatens Vital Supports for Vermont Families

As Vermont’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council, Building Bright Futures (BBF) is deeply alarmed by the White House’s FY2026 discretionary budget …
Two women on a couch, smiling, one wearing a pink headscarf, with two other women in headscarves, one holding a sleeping baby

Community Conversations Inform Vermont’s Early Childhood Strategic Plan

“The system should be built to help us, not force us into battles for basic necessities.”— A participant in BBF’s recent …
Four children at Gilman Head Start hold their arms up in an exercise led by their teacher

Head Start at Risk: The Vital Need for Proactive Funding Solutions 

As Vermont’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council named in the Federal Head Start Act, Building Bright Futures (BBF) is deeply concerned …
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Our Publications

BBF publishes data briefs and reports, including the yearly State of Vermont’s Children report and annual Policy Recommendations related to Vermont children and families.

BBF supports accountability through Vermont’s Early Childhood Data & Policy Center, a nonpartisan, independent source of data, research, and publications for policymakers, researchers, and the public. We’re also tasked with ensuring accountability and measuring the success of the VECAP and Vermont’s Act 76, a child care law passed in 2023. We use evidence to inform policy and bring voices together across sectors and within regions to discuss critical challenges and problem-solve.

Our Vermont Early Childhood Fund (VECF) gives grants to support creative solutions that will improve the well-being of children from the prenatal period to age 8, their families, and the Vermont communities where they live.

BBF is Vermont’s early childhood public-private partnership, charged under Vermont Title 33 § Chapter 46 and the Federal Head Start Act (Public Law 110-134) as Vermont’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council. Building Bright Futures is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization.