Building Bright Futures has 12 regions throughout Vermont that align with the Agency of Human Services districts.  Each regional early childhood council, supported by one of BBF’s Regional Managers, brings together community members committed to young children and families. Councils are guided by the State and Regional Early Childhood Action Plan, and identify annual priority actions based on community needs and gaps. Review the 2021 map of regional councils priorities here. The Regional Councils also advise the BBF State Advisory Council on opportunities to strengthen both local and statewide systems of care, health, and education. Council meetings are open to the public and have a regular meeting schedule. Learn more about the Regional Council structure and how to find the regional council meeting in your region by reading below.

Our Vision

We envision an early childhood system where partners work together with shared vision, shared action and shared accountability; where regional tables are set for communities to problem solve, coordinate, and take action; where data drives decision making; and sensible state policy is informed by the wisdom of communities.

BBF brings the Early Childhood community in Vermont together to foster collaboration, share best practices, solicit input, and develop system efficiencies on complex social and systemic problems to ensure all children and families have access to high quality opportunities. We engage families as key partners to build a seamless system experienced by families from prenatal through age eight and beyond. Regional Councils convene early childhood partners to identify the needs and challenges of children, families, educators and providers on the ground.

BBF Regional Councils serve as an essential part of the BBF statewide network infrastructure including  the State Advisory Council (SAC) on Early Childhood and the seven Vermont Early Childhood Action Plan (VECAP) committees; working together to support Early Childhood stakeholders across the state. BBF Regional Councils regularly participate in efforts to gather information from the broader community to inform policy and practice both at the regional and state level. 

Regional Council Charge

The Regional Council convenes families and professionals invested in the well-being of children and families. The council is guided by priorities outlined in a Regional and Vermont  Early Childhood Action Plan (VECAP) based on community needs and gaps. The council also advises the BBF State Advisory Council (SAC) on opportunities to strengthen both local and statewide systems of care, health, and education. BBF’s team of Regional Managers to support the network of 12 regional Councils Each Regional Early Childhood Council, is supported by a BBF Regional Council Coordinator,

Council Membership 

The council is open to anyone who is invested in the well-being of children and families. We seek representation from the following sectors: health, mental health, early care and education, primary education, home visiting, parents/caregivers, and direct service providers, businesses/employers, etc, who are committed to participate in respectful, safe and non-judgmental relationships to work together in support of positive outcomes for young children and families in our community. There are no terms for Council membership.

Council Meetings

With the regional and state action plans as our guides, we identify and invite discussion about key projects and initiatives to support and collaborate on in efforts to increase impact, reduce duplication, and break down silos. Regional council meetings gather 8-10 times a year to share ideas and support for programs and families, and create opportunities to learn what our counterparts are doing, recognizing that we can better meet the diverse needs of all children and families when we work together.  Meetings will be held largely using Zoom as a virtual format, with select in person meetings to further build relationships among regional partners. Click here to find the regional council in your region

Regional Council Leadership Team

Each Regional Council Leadership Team maintains the direction for our agile early childhood focused regional council and teams to deliver and support key initiatives through prioritization of action plan strategies that align with community projects, grants, and cross organizational coordination of efforts. The roles of Leadership Teams include:

• Planning Regional Council meetings strategically
• Co-facilitating council meetings
• Identifying, exploring gaps and opportunities in the region for discussion at the Council meetings
• Assists Regional Manager in tracking and managing strategies, grant budgets and deliverables
• Participate in the BBF multi-tiered infrastructure to elevate regional voices to the state level –by attending State Advisory Council and Vermont Early Childhood Action Plan (VECAP) meetings as needed 
• Terms are 2 years – staggered to maintain vision and institutional knowledge
• Membership-Existing leadership team members solicit applications on an annual basis and will review and vote on incoming applicants as a team. 

Primary Role of Regional Manager

BBF has a team of 4 full-time Regional Managers (formerly called Regional Coordinators) to support the network of 12 Regional Councils and serve as an ambassador for the mission, vision, and work of the BBF network infrastructure. Their time is dedicated to the following key activities. 

• Regional Managers serve as an ambassador for the mission, vision, and work of the BBF network infrastructure. They promote the importance of early childhood and connect people and resources
• Serve as the liaison between regional and state teams to communicate regional priorities, gaps and needs experienced by children, families and partners
• Manage BBF Regional Council operations for 2-4 regions. Engaging with regional partners and Council Leadership Teams to identify priority issues, build agendas, manage communications
• Coordinate with affiliated sub-committees/special initiatives
• Administrative and project management to meet grant deliverables (ie: outreach, funding for projects, data collection, reporting, etc.