Vermont Business Magazine Building Bright Futures (BBF) has announced a new round of grant recipients for the Vermont Early Childhood Fund (VECF), totaling $1.9 million in awards for new projects and an additional $1 million in funding to existing grantees focused on Vermont children and families.
Thanks to these grants, awardees in every region of Vermont will be able to pursue important and innovative projects, including:
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Creating more than 180 early childhood care and education slots across the state
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Enhancing the capacity of early childhood programs to meet the needs of children with disabilities, behavioral challenges, and mental health needs, including those impacted by adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
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Improving access to healthy nutrition in early childhood programs
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Increasing access to professional development programs, including the Family Service Credential, DIRFloortime, Reggio Emilia pedagogy, equity-centered practices, gender-inclusive practices and identity-affirming support systems, trauma-informed and inclusive practices, and more
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Providing access to free breastfeeding/chestfeeding support, from pregnancy to weaning
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Expanding and improving early childhood literacy programs offered through libraries, bookmobiles, and Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library
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Increasing programming to support fathers of young children, including a program designed for incarcerated fathers
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Redistributing gently-used donated baby and toddler supplies to Vermont families in need through a referral-based system, community swap events, and mutual aid networks
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Improving access to medical care through a doula residency program, training on the most up-to-date perinatal mood disorder resources, and expanding a statewide initiative designed to support pediatric and perinatal medical providers in delivering high-quality mental health care to their patients
VECF supports creative solutions to improve the well-being of children through age 8, their families, and the Vermont communities where they live. VECF was established in 2021 thanks to a generous grant from a private donor and was able to continue to fund projects in 2022 and 2023 with support from the Sunflower Fund at the Vermont Community Foundation.
VECF is currently funded by the Vermont Integration Project: Building Integration in Vermont’s Birth–5 Early Childhood Systems (VIP B–5) Preschool Development Grant. Thanks to this federal grant, VECF expanded its funding substantially this year, from $105,000 for projects carried out in 2023 to $8 million in grants awarded between December 2023 and July 2025. This is the fourth and final round of VECF funding under the Preschool Development Grant grant, which ends in December 2025.
The VECF Opportunity Grant ($10,000 to $80,000) has the goal of supporting easy-to-achieve solutions with direct results. The spring 2025 Opportunity Grant recipients are:
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ABC Academy in Chittenden and Franklin Counties
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Addison County Parent Child Center in Addison County
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Burlington Children’s Space in Chittenden County
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Caledonia Central Supervisory Union in Caledonia and Washington Counties
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Christine Hertz Hausman LLC in Franklin, Lamoille, and Washington Counties
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Clara Martin Center in Orange County
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Empower Therapy in Chittenden County
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Essex Pediatrics Strengthening Families Initiative in Chittenden County
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The Family Garden in Windham County
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Fox Hollow Forest School in Rutland County
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Franklin Grand Isle Bookmobile in Franklin and Grand Isle Counties
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Georgia Public Library in Franklin County
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Green Mountain United Way in Washington County
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Hunger Free Vermont in Chittenden County
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Intentional Evolution in Chittenden County
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Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Washington County
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Laura Pascoe, LLC in Windsor County
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Maitri Healthcare for Women in Chittenden County
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Mary Johnson Children’s Center in Addison County
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Montpelier Children’s House in Washington County
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Northeast Kingdom Community Action in Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans Counties
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Northwestern Counseling and Support Services in Franklin County
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ONE Arts in Chittenden and Washington Counties
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Poker Hill School in Chittenden County
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Rutland County Head Start in Rutland County
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Rutland County Parent Child Center in Rutland County
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Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington County
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Special Needs Support Center of the Upper Valley in Windsor County
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Sunrise Family Resource Center in Bennington County
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Treehouse Children’s School in Windsor County
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Treesprouts Playhouse in Chittenden County
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Umbrella in Essex and Orleans Counties
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Vermont Connector in Chittenden County
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Vermont Consultation & Psychiatry Access Program, statewide
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Vermont Doula Company in Chittenden County
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Vermont Fatherhood in Washington County
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Vermont Folklife in Chittenden County
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Vermont Parent Child Center Network, statewide
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The Village School in Washington County
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Wild Strawberry Forest School in Windham County
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Wonder Roots in Chittenden County
BBF received a total of 101 applications from throughout Vermont for this round of VECF grants, and requests far surpassed the available funding. Applications were evaluated through a rigorous process by reviewers including BBF staff members and state agency representatives from the Vermont Department for Children and Families - Child Development Division and the Vermont Department of Health. For more information, visit buildingbrightfutures.org/vecf/.
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 by bringing voices together to discuss critical challenges and problem-solve. 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 SAC advises Vermont’s governor and legislature on the well-being of children in the prenatal period through age 8 and their families. BBF’s network includes 12 Regional Councils, seven VECAP Committees and the State Advisory Council. BBF maintains Vermont’s Early Childhood Action Plan (VECAP), the vision and strategic plan for Vermont’s early childhood system. BBF is responsible for ensuring accountability and measuring the success of the VECAP and Vermont's Act 76, a child care law passed in 2023. BBF supports accountability through Vermont’s Early Childhood Data & Policy Center, which serves as a nonpartisan, independent source of data, research and publications for policymakers, researchers and the public. Learn more at buildingbrightfutures.org.
July 14, 2025 (WILLISTON, Vt.)—Building Bright Futures
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