News from the Network is an email series from Building Bright Futures that spotlights BBF’s work across the state of Vermont to improve the well-being of young children and families.
Every five years, Vermont updates our state’s strategic plan for early childhood. This October, Vermont’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council will endorse a new strategic plan that will guide Vermont from 2026 through 2030. Over the past several months, Building Bright Futures has been stewarding the update process in partnership with consultants at The Creative Discourse Group.
In May, the State Advisory Council meeting served as our annual strategic plan summit. We had 70 people in attendance, gathered feedback on the new draft strategic plan, and discussed how we implement the strategies in the plan and how we hold people and the early childhood system accountable. You can watch a recording of the meeting on our YouTube Channel or review the meeting minutes here.
This updated draft plan is built around five big goals that reflect what families, communities and professionals across the states have told us matters most to them.
Our first goal is that “All Children and Families Have Their Basic Needs Met.” This includes but is not limited to things like food, housing, health care, and income support. These are essentials that everyone should have access to, and we are committed to removing barriers and ensuring all families can meet their needs with dignity, as these are basic human rights.
Our second goal is that “All Children are Raised in Safe & Healthy Environments.” We’re working on building communities and systems grounded in care, connection, and equity for all.
Third, “Children and Families Have Access to High-Quality Opportunities That Promote Child Development and Well-Being.” We believe that every child, regardless of where they live or what challenges they face, should have access to enriching experiences that support their physical, emotional, and cognitive growth.
Our fourth goal is to “Build a Thriving, Respected, and Sustainable Early Childhood Workforce.” This goal is tailored to the people who care for and teach our children. A well-supported workforce is essential for high-quality childhood experiences. We prioritize fair competition, professionalism, and a system that values essential work being done for the betterment of our communities.
Finally, our fifth goal is that “Our System Centers Children and Families and is Coordinated, Well-Resourced, and Data-Driven.” We’re working toward a system where families are heard, decisions are informed by real experiences, and resources are equitably distributed. This means listening to families and communities and making decisions based on what they really need.
After introducing the five new draft goals in May, we hosted a total of 15 virtual meetings in June to gather feedback on each of the five goals and received more than 300 individual feedback comments. This comment about the struggles of families who have to wait for much-needed services for their children indicates the urgent need for the implementation of these goals.
“We hear a lot from families who have kids with disabilities, waiting for services—want to talk about the full gamut of services and make sure we call this out—we haven’t made much progress on this yet.”
So far, we’ve received a lot of feedback from people across the state. One person told us, “I see a lot of powerful language here, equitable, culturally responsive, serving marginalized families. How does this intersect with the current political climate?” Someone else said, “When families are able to engage in the system in a meaningful way, they begin to see the system as a partner, which helps reduce stigma that the system is against them.” This kind of feedback shows us that people are thinking carefully about how this strategic plan will work in real life.
We want to continue to hear from everyone and let you know there are still ways to get involved. Our feedback form is open through July 31. In addition, the Creative Discourse Group will be working alongside our staff at BBF to sort the data and provide feedback. In August, we will incorporate the feedback and revise the current draft with your input. Then we will share an updated version of the plan at the State Advisory Council meeting this September.
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