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 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 nearly 300 early childhood care and education slots across the state
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Coordinating efforts to deliver early intervention violence prevention, especially focused on meeting the needs of the LGBTQ+ community and those in substance use recovery
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Increasing access to play therapy, special education, early childhood intervention, programs targeted to fathers and wellness programs
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Expanding early childhood education workforce recruitment and training, including opportunities for paid classroom experience and a program targeted to New Americans
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Increasing access to professional development programs, including infant and toddler mental health training, college courses, Reggio Emilia pedagogy and coaching by licensed therapists to address behavioral health challenges
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Increasing access to free, high-quality winter wear for children from families with low incomes
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Investing in an outdoor play area that will provide opportunities for all children, including those with physical or neurological differences, to play alongside each other
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Developing library programs focused on early childhood literacy and development
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Supporting early child development and strengthening parent-child relationships through music programs
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Addressing food insecurity by providing healthy nutrition in early childhood programs
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 now 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 $3.2 million for grants awarded in December 2023 and May 2024, and $1.9 million for this round of projects.
The Innovation Grant ($100,000 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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Orange County Parent Child Center in Orange County
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Steps to End Domestic Violence in Chittenden 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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Arlington Area Childcare in Bennington County
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Brookside Primary School in Washington County
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Champlain Center for Play Therapy and Family Counseling in Addison, Chittenden and Lamoille counties
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Clubhouse Kids in Lamoille County
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Craftsbury Saplings in Orleans County
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Creative Preschool in Orange County
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Cubs Child Care in Lamoille County
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Dad Guild in Orange and Windsor counties
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The Family Place in Windsor County
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Greater Burlington YMCA in Chittenden County
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The Growing Tree in Addison County
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Junebug in Addison County
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Little Angel’s Childcare in Orleans County
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Little Explorers Child Care Center in Caledonia County
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Lund in Chittenden County
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Lydia Taft Pratt Library in Windham County
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Middlebury Community Music Center in Addison County
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Neck of the Woods in Washington County
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ONE Arts in Chittenden County
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Otter Creek Child Center in Addison County
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Perkinsville Preschool and Childcare in Windsor County
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The Pumpkin Patch in Windham County
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Pyramid 802 Plus Empowers, statewide
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Rutland County Head Start in Rutland County
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Turtle Island Children's Center in Washington County
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Whiting Library in Windsor County
BBF received a total of 51 applications from throughout Vermont for the fall 2024 round of VECF grants, and requests far surpassed the available funding. Applications were evaluated through a rigorous process by 26 reviewers, including BBF staff members, parents, nonprofit leaders and state agency representatives from the Office of Racial Equity, Vermont Department for Children and Families - Child Development Division, Vermont Department of Health and Department of Mental 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.
Source: November 8, 2024 (WILLISTON, Vt.)—Building Bright Futures
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