Vermont Business Magazine Vermont child care providers will be able to open their doors to hundreds more Vermont children thanks to $455,500 in grants and coaching from Vermont Birth to Five (VB5), a statewide initiative of the Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children working to expand the capacity and quality of Vermont child care programs.
The money, being awarded to 23 Vermont child care programs as part of a new VB5 program called Make Way for Kids, is aimed at addressing the critical shortage of high-quality child care across the state. In addition to funding, Make Way for Kids awardees will be provided with coaching from VB5 early childhood experts on business and program practices to ensure the long-term success of their programs. The Make Way for Kids program is part of the Permanent Fund’s strategy to ensure affordable access to high-quality child care for Vermont families by 2025.
Make Way for Kids projects will result in the creation of 389 new child care spaces and 429 existing spaces achieving the highest quality recognition levels of 4 or 5 stars from the STep Ahead Recognition System (STARS), Vermont’s quality recognition and improvement system for early care and learning programs. All projects are expected to be complete by the spring of 2019. (See full list of projects below.)
“Vermont families are struggling to find and afford quality child care. With Make Way for Kids, we’re partnering with communities that are working to increase access to high-quality child care and create positive change for Vermont’s young children and families,” said VB5 Executive Director Janet McLaughlin.
In April of 2017, the Vermont Department of Children and Families Child Development Division (CDD) released a report showing that the number of regulated child care spaces available in the state is declining. Let’s Grow Kids’ 2018 Stalled at the Start report found that more than half of Vermont infants and toddlers likely to need care don’t have access to any regulated child care programs and nearly 80% don’t have access to high-quality programs.
“Even though it’s rewarding and critically important work, child care can be a tough business to sustain because Vermont’s early care and learning system has been chronically underfunded,” McLaughlin said.
The largest concentration of Make Way for Kids projects will take place in Rutland County, where several public school and community-based programs have come together to form a new Rutland Region Early Childhood Cooperative. VB5 has awarded $90,000 in grants to the Cooperative and will provide ongoing coaching to Cooperative partners who will meet monthly and work together to strengthen early childhood programs across the region. The Cooperative projects will result in the creation of 116 new child care spaces and improved quality for 309 existing spaces in the Rutland region.
“The Rutland Region Early Childhood Cooperative is an example of what is possible when communities come together to focus on the needs of young children and families. We hope these partnerships inspire similar work in other regions,” McLaughlin said.
The Permanent Fund launched Make Way for Kids with funding from the Turrell Fund and A.D. Henderson Foundation (longtime collaborative funding partners of VB5’s work), along with contributions from the Vermont Community Foundation, Canaday Family Charitable Trust and continued support from generous Vermonters. The federal Race to the Top–Early Learning Challenge grant is supporting coaching and technical assistance.
“If we want to end the cycle of some of our state’s most tenacious problems—like a shrinking workforce, skyrocketing health care and special education costs and an opioid addiction crisis—we’ve got to start at the beginning, with our youngest citizens. Making sure our working families have the support they need to thrive in Vermont and their young children have the opportunities they need for healthy development is key to a stronger Vermont,” said Permanent Fund CEO Aly Richards.
The Permanent Fund is the parent organization of both VB5 and Let’s Grow Kids (LGK). While LGK is focused on mobilizing Vermonters to support increased public investments in high-quality, affordable child care, VB5 is strengthening the system we have today.
“Make Way for Kids is a strategic investment for the future of our children and Vermont,” Richards said. “We’re doing our part to alleviate an urgent need for more high-quality child care, but this only scratches the surface. We need everyone at the table to help create a sustainable early care and learning system that meets the needs of Vermont’s children, families, businesses and economy—because we all depend on it.”
Make Way for Kids is an annual program and VB5 plans to release 2019 funding applications in the fall of 2018. Awards will be announced in the spring of 2019. For more information about Make Way for Kids, visit http://vermontbirthtofive.org/make_way_for_kids/.
About Vermont Birth to Five
Vermont Birth to Five (VB5) is a statewide initiative staffed by experienced early childhood professionals who work community by community to increase the availability of high-quality child care. Through close collaboration with statewide and community organizations, VB5 directly engages child care providers and early educators in projects designed to increase capacity and improve program quality and sustainability. VB5 is an initiative of the Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children, a nonprofit organization, with collaborative funding support from the A.D. Henderson Foundation, the Turrell Fund and others, whose mission is to ensure all Vermont families have affordable access to high-quality child care by 2025. Learn more at http://vermontbirthtofive.org/.
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2018 MAKE WAY FOR KIDS PROJECTS
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COUNTY
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CHILD CARE PROGRAM/PROVIDER
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GRANT AWARD
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# Spaces (New)
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# Spaces (Improving Quality)
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PROJECT DESCRIPTION
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Addison
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Mary Johnson Children’s Center (Middlebury)
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$24,000
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8
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To support construction of a new infant space, creating capacity to care for 8 additional infants.
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Bennington
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Myers Prouty Children's Campuses, Inc. - Monument Campus (Bennington)
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$23,000
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25
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To develop a new high-quality child care program, serving 10 infants and toddlers and 15 preschool-aged children.
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Caledonia
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Amber Bollman (West Burke)
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$5,000
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6
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To support opening a newly registered family child care program, with capacity to care for 3 infants & toddlers and 3 preschool-aged children.
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Little Dippers Doodle Children's Center (St. Johnsbury)
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$27,500
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26
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To expand the center’s infant and toddler program, creating capacity to serve 26 additional infants and toddlers.
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St. Johnsbury School District (St. Johnsbury region)
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$27,000
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20
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42
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To support increased capacity (adding 20 new child care spaces) and improved program quality in licensed and family child care homes. This grant will also support the educational advancement of 8 teachers.
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Chittenden
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Ascension Childcare, Inc. (Shelburne)
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$35,000
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12
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To support renovation of space, creating capacity to serve 9 additional infants and toddlers and 3 preschool-aged children.
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Franklin
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Almond Blossoms (St. Albans)
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$23,000
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46
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To support the development of a new program in a newly purchased space, serving 26 infants and toddlers and 20 preschool-aged children.
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PJ’s Child Care Center (St. Albans)
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$2,600
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46
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To purchase equipment to improve the quality of the environment in a new child care center serving 26 infants and toddlers and 20 preschool-aged children.
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Lamoille
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Lou Ann Hess-Clewes (Morrisville)
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$5,000
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6
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To support the creation of a new child care program with capacity to care for 3 infants and toddlers and 3 preschool-aged children.
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Orange
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Penny Carpenter / Little Wings Childcare (Brookfield)
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$9,000
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6
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6
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To support moving from a registered to a licensed home, adding capacity to care for 6 additional infants and toddlers and increasing quality from 3 to 4 stars.
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Orange County Parent Child Center (Tunbridge)
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$24,100
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8
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To support adding an infant classroom, creating capacity to care for 8 additional infants.
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Orleans
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Lisa Duncan / Little Angels (Derby)
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$4,800
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6
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To support moving from a registered to a licensed home, adding capacity to care for 6 additional children infant through preschool-age.
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Northeast Kingdom Learning Center & The Kingdom Children’s Museum (Newport)
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$45,500
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62
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To support the start-up of a high-quality early care and learning center that will also house the Kingdom Children’s Museum to offer a robust educational experience for children and families.
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Rutland
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Mary L. McDonald
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$9,000
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6
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6
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To support moving from a registered to a licensed home, adding capacity to care for 6 additional infants and toddlers.
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Rutland Region Early Childhood Cooperative*
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Baby Steps Childcare
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$24,000
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12
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To support opening a new licensed child care program with capacity to care for 12 infants and toddlers.
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Little Sparrow Learning Nest
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$24,000
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36
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To support opening a new licensed child care program with capacity to care for 22 infants and toddlers and 14 preschool-aged children.
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Rutland Community Programs, Inc. (Rutland County Head Start)
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$17,000
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6
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To support increased capacity as well as program quality improvement, in collaboration with the Rutland County Parent Child Center. The partnership will provide workforce and leadership development for all Rutland Region Early Childhood Cooperative partners.
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Rutland Central Supervisory Union
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$25,000
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62
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181
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To support both increased quality and access to pre-K programs in the Rutland community (adding capacity to serve 22 additional preschool-aged children at Wells Elementary School as well as adding capacity for 40 pre-K spaces to go from part-time to full-time at West Rutland, Middletown Springs and Poultney Schools). The funding will also support regional quality improvement through professional development and mentoring.
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Rekaroo’s Child Care
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46
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Training, materials and mentoring to increase to 4 stars as part of regional cooperative.
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Rutland County Parent Child Center (Rutland)
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46
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Training, materials and mentoring to increase to 5 stars as part of regional cooperative.
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Rutland County Parent Child Center (Brandon)
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36
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Training, materials and mentoring to increase to 4 stars as part of regional cooperative.
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Little Sparrows Learning Nest at River St.
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Training, materials and mentoring to increase to 4 stars as part of regional cooperative.
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Washington/ Orange
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Winooski Valley Superintendents Assoc. (Southern Washington and Orange Counties)
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$30,000
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20
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To support working with 3-star programs to increase program quality to achieve 4–5 stars and become universal prekindergarten partners as part of Act 166 Regional Collaboration.
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Windham
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Amaryah Pendlebury (Brattleboro)
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$10,000
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4
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To support moving from a registered home to a licensed center, adding capacity to care for 2 additional infants and toddlers and 2 preschool-aged children.
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Village Early Learning Center, Inc. (Saxtons River)
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$24,000
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8
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To support expansion of the center, adding capacity to care for 8 additional infants and toddlers and to increase program quality from 4 to 5 stars.
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Mountain Communities Supporting Education dba The Collaborative (Londonderry)
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$28,000
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18
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To support the creation of a new infant/toddler program with capacity to care for 18 infants and toddlers.
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Windsor
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Melissa Frary/Little Mountaineers Home Child Care (South Royalton)
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$9,000
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6
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To support moving from a registered to a licensed home, adding capacity to care for 3 additional infants and toddlers and 3 preschool-aged children.
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*The Rutland Region Early Childhood Cooperative is bringing together early childhood partners, including nonprofit, for-profit, school- and community-based programs, who will be working together as a team to address child care challenges in the Rutland region. Four of the programs are receiving direct grant funding from Make Way for Kids and all of them are receiving VB5 expert coaching services and will be sharing quality improvement resources to elevate the quality of early care and learning programs throughout the region.
Source: Let's Grow Kids. 5.22.2018