Let’s Grow Kids has recognized five Vermonters as Early Childhood Superheroes for going above and beyond to help young children reach their full potential. The honorees include: Hope Campbell; Kristin Lange; Anne Latulippe; Paula Nadeau and Trisha Scharf.
- Hope Campbell, of Barnet, Director of Child Care Programs at Vermont Community Loan Fund, has dedicated herself to helping early childhood professionals build high-quality, affordable early care and learning programs for Vermont’s youngest children for the last 17 years. Hope takes a hands-on approach to helping providers run financially viable programs while keeping their costs affordable for families. “My hope is that every child is able to access all the services they need so that they can be the best they can be,” Hope said.
- Kristin Lange, of Rutland, Lead Teacher for Rutland Head Start, is a calming and encouraging presence for children and families who are experiencing difficult times. Kristin also works part-time as a gymnastics coach for children with special needs. Somehow, while juggling two jobs and raising a family of her own, Kristin also finds the time to advocate for children across the state. “If I had a magic wand, I would take all the trauma away from the children and replace it with joy,” Kristin said.
- Anne Latulippe, of Duxbury, Executive Director of the Children’s Room in Waterbury, is an integral resource for her community. Her work is wide-ranging: from developing and running high-quality programming for young children, to supporting local families, to advocating for early childhood issues in Montpelier. Anne, who will participate in the Early Childhood Leadership Institute this summer, said she’s proud of the work being done in her community and across the state “to make sure our children have the best beginning.”
- Paula Nadeau, of Waterbury, the owner of Tiny Dreamers in Williston, has experienced Vermont’s child care challenge both as a parent and as an early childhood professional. This year Paula became an outspoken advocate for Vermont’s young children and helped plan a Rally for Kids at the State House during Early Childhood Day at the Legislature where she was one of the featured speakers. “I didn't know that I could accomplish so much so quickly as an advocate,” Paula said.
- Trisha Scharf, of Essex, Executive Director of Children Unlimited in Williston, has been in the early childhood field for 30 years. Trisha also helped to plan and was a featured speaker at the Rally for Kids during Early Childhood Day at the Legislature, where she told lawmakers it breaks her heart when she has to turn families away because she doesn’t have space for their children. “The best investment Vermont can make as a state is an investment in its children. That’s what I’m asking our legislators to do.”
The selection of Early Childhood Superheroes followed a statewide call for nominations of unsung heroes among educators, child care professionals, parents, grandparents, volunteers, business peoples, policymakers, civic leaders and clergy. From the nominations, a panel of early childhood experts representing Building Bright Futures, Vermont Birth to Five, the Vermont Early Childhood Alliance and Let's Grow Kids selected five Vermonters from various regions of the state who have demonstrated a commitment to the success of Vermont’s youngest children through “above and beyond” contributions to children’s lives.
“Early Childhood Superheroes play an absolutely critical role in giving Vermont’s kids a strong start. They understand that children’s experiences during the first five years are literally built into the brain and they’re committed to making high-quality, affordable child care a reality in our state,” said Let’s Grow Kids Campaign Director Robyn Freedner-Maguire. Let’s Grow Kids continues to seek nominations to join the ranks of Early Childhood Superheroes through an online nomination form: http://www.letsgrowkids.org/nominate-superhero.
About Let’s Grow Kids
Let’s Grow Kids is a public awareness and engagement campaign about the important role that high-quality, affordable child care can play in supporting the healthy development of Vermont’s children during their first five years—the most important years for laying a foundation for success in relationships, in school and in life. Because Vermont’s shortage of high-quality, affordable child care is a serious challenge for our communities and our economy, our goal is to gain public support leading to increased, sustainable investment that gives all children the chance to reach their full potential. Let’s Grow Kids is an initiative of the Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children with support from the Turrell Fund.