New report gives insights and recommendations on child well-being in Vermont

Key topics include the impact of the housing crisis on families with children and the increase in children experiencing mental health conditions

Vermont Business Magazine A newly released report from Building Bright Futures and Vermont’s Early Childhood Data and Policy Center, titled The State of Vermont’s Children: 2022 Year in Review, provides an objective, data-driven assessment of the well-being of young children and families in Vermont. The report includes the 2023 Policy Recommendations from Vermont’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council Network on how best to improve outcomes for each and every child in the prenatal period to age 8 and their family.

“Child care, mental health care and housing are expected to be a major focus of the Vermont General Assembly in 2023,” said Building Bright Futures’ Executive Director Morgan Crossman. “As the primary advisor to Vermont’s Governor and General Assembly on early childhood, BBF publishes The State of Vermont’s Children annually in early January to give Vermont’s policymakers a robust snapshot of the early childhood data they need at the start of each session. This year’s report marks the 10th annual release of The State of Vermont’s Children (formerly known as How Are Vermont’s Young Children and Families?). We are proud of our 10 years of building Vermont’s capacity to prioritize data-driven decision-making!”

While the full report contains over 100 contextualized indicators, six highlights are captured below.

  • There has been a 60% increase in the proportion of children in Vermont ages 3 to 8 with an emotional or mental health condition, while at the same time there was no change for the U.S. as a whole.

  • Vermont currently has the lowest number in over two decades of out-of-home residential treatment beds for children.

  • There were 16,381 children enrolled in child care in 2021, but 76% of infants, 54% of toddlers, and 52% of preschoolers likely to need care still do not have access to high-quality programs.

  • Vulnerable students (ages 5 to 8) are excluded from their classrooms at higher rates:

    • Students eligible for free and reduced lunch make up 35% of the student population but account for 72% of suspensions.

    • Children receiving special education services make up 15% of the student population but account for 36% of suspensions.

  • A family of four needs almost $110,000 to meet its basic needs.

  • There has been a striking increase in the number of homeless children under 9 enrolled in school, from 268 during the 2020-2021 school year to 398 in the 2021-2022 school year.

Selected Slides

The State of Vermont's Children report and a recording of the virtual briefing are available for download. If you would like a free hard copy of the report mailed to you, please complete this form.

The mission of Building Bright Futures (BBF) is to improve the well-being of each and every child and family in Vermont by using evidence to inform policy and bringing voices together to discuss critical challenges and problem solve. Building Bright Futures (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 (SAC), the mechanism used to advise the Governor and Legislature on the well-being of children in the prenatal period through age 8 and their families. BBF’s Network infrastructure includes 12 Regional Councils, seven VECAP Committees, and the State Advisory Council. BBF maintains the vision and strategic plan for Vermont’s Early Childhood System. Learn more at buildingbrightfutures.org.

Jan. 10, 2023 (WILLISTON, Vt.)—Building Bright Futures