Vermont Business Magazine Building Bright Futures (BBF) has announced a new round of grant recipients for the Vermont Early Childhood Fund (VECF), totaling nearly $1.2 million for projects 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 over 200 child care slots across multiple counties
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Expanding access to pre-K and school services through transportation
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Supporting positive parent-child interactions and resource navigation
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Expanding early childhood education workforce recruitment and training
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Reducing waitlists for developmental and autism spectrum disorder assessments
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Increasing access to mental health services, training and coaching
VECF supports creative solutions to improve the well-being of children through age 8, their families and the Vermont communities where they live. Thanks to a federal grant awarded to the state of Vermont in late 2022, the VECF expanded its funding tenfold this year, from $105,000 for projects carried out in 2023 to $1.2 million for this round of projects. Expanded VECF funding is slated to continue in 2024 and 2025, with two funding cycles each year for a total of $6 million over three years.
The Innovation Grant ($150,000 to $200,000) has the goal of creating innovative, replicable solutions to address some of Vermont’s most persistent barriers to serving children and families. The Innovation Grant recipients are:
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The Janet S. Munt Family Room in Chittenden County
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Northwestern Medical Center in Franklin County
The Opportunity Grant ($10,000 to $80,000) has the goal of supporting easy-to-achieve solutions with direct results. The Opportunity Grant recipients are:
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ABC & LOL Preschool & Child Care Center in Caledonia County
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Alburgh Family Clubhouse in Grand Isle County
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Cabot Community Association - The Cabot Children's Center in Washington County
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ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain in Chittenden County
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Grow Family and Prenatal Center in Chittenden County
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Hartford Area Career and Technology Center in Windsor County
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Kid Logic Learning in Chittenden County
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Lund in Chittenden County
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Middlebury Community Music Center in Addison County
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Mount Mansfield Unified Union School District in Chittenden County
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Northshire Day School in Bennington County
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Oak Hill Children's Center in Bennington County
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Orange County Parent Child Center in Orange County
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Rutland Regional Medical Center in Rutland County
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Stay & Play Daycare Center in Caledonia County
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Vital Partnerships in Windham County
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Wonder in the Woods in Windham County
VECF was established in 2021 thanks to a 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.
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 improve the quality and availability of services for family and children from prenatal to age 8. The Vermont Integration Project: Building Integration in Vermont’s Birth–5 Early Childhood Systems (VIP B–5) will provide a total of $6 million in subgrants over a three-year period to local communities. This first round of funding will distribute $1.2 million to support Vermont’s early childhood system.
The grant projects will focus on families and children from the prenatal period through age 8. 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 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 maintains the vision and strategic plan for Vermont’s Early Childhood System. BBF’s Network infrastructure includes 12 Regional Councils, seven VECAP Committees, and the State Advisory Council. Learn more at buildingbrightfutures.org.
Source: 12.21.2023. Building Bright Futures. Williston, Vermont www.buildingbrightfutures.org | www.Vermontkidsdata.org
