We’re asking agencies and organizations that have statewide leadership opportunities for families and caregivers to advise on policy making, program implementation, or other system-wide efforts to complete the Family Leadership Inventory survey by Friday, May 3. Information collected from the survey will guide the development of an accessible resource that informs statewide practices to make […]
On March 25, Vermont’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council (SAC) met to build relationships among members and learn about early successes and impacts of the Building Integration in Vermont’s B-5 Early Childhood Systems (VIP B-5) project. At the meeting, we welcomed five new members: Dr. Debra Hartswick, Kiona Baez Heath, Amber Hewston, Erica McLaughlin, and […]
In addition to the spotlight on perinatal health we featured recently from BBF’s The State of Vermont’s Children, this year’s report gives insights into early childhood physical and mental health, education, and basic needs. In this 3-minute video, I shared some of these highlights we see in the latest Vermont data. These include a 36% […]
BBF is expanding our written communications to include plain language versions of reports whenever possible. This will promote accessibility to important information about our work and the early childhood system to as many people as possible. The plain language versions of documents will often be shorter, exclude or explain jargon and acronyms, be more accessible, […]
This year, the spotlight in BBF’s The State of Vermont’s Children report focuses on perinatal health and well-being. The perinatal period, the time from pregnancy through one year after birth, is so important for the long-term development of each child and the well-being of the whole family. Three key points from this spotlight reveal challenges […]
The Vermont Early Childhood Fund (VECF) supports 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 supports multiple rounds of this funding, and the spring 2024 grant round is now accepting applications through March 22! Fall 2023 Grantee […]
The Families & Communities Committee strives to elevate family voice and connect families to leadership opportunities. We are one of seven VECAP Committees that are guided by Vermont’s Early Childhood Action Plan (VECAP), and we work to develop a statewide approach that enriches and expands family partnership and leadership at the provider, agency, and community […]
To mark the start of the 2024 session of the Vermont General Assembly, BBF Policy and Program Director Anna Brouillette recorded this message with Senator Ruth Hardy. In the video, Anna highlights how the BBF Network develops annual Policy Recommendations and how our team will use this year’s Policy Recommendations during the legislative session. Sen. Hardy […]
“The feel-good is great, but the real feel-good is doing something that lasts longer than the duration of this grant funding.” That is what Alex Beck, Welcoming Communities Manager for the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (BDCC), told me toward the end of our conversation about BDCC’s successful 2023 pilot program to train New Vermonters in […]
“Data and equity have to lead to some sort of action that leads to a better outcome.” —Iheoma U. Iruka, Ph.D., during the Vermont Early Childhood Grand Rounds Seminar On Sept. 13, 2023, Building Bright Futures Executive Director Dr. Morgan Crossman moderated the inaugural Vermont Early Childhood Grand Rounds Seminar, a new series hosted by […]
The Vermont Early Childhood Fund (VECF) supports 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. In late 2022, Vermont was awarded a $23 million federal grant to strengthen the state’s early childhood system, support the early childhood workforce, and […]
News from the Network is an email series from Building Bright Futures that spotlights the work of Regional Councils, updates related to early childhood data, emerging priorities from VECAP Committees, and more. This update gives a closer look at BBF’s work across the state of Vermont to improve the well-being of young children and families. […]