Registration is Now Open for ECDL ’25!

Join us in person for Early Childhood Day at the Legislature (ECDL) on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier

Join the Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance, early childhood professionals, parents, employers, and policymakers in person to meet with legislators about early childhood issues, attend workshops on current topics, and network and exchange information.

The issues on our 2025 Legislative Agenda will play central roles at this year’s ECDL.

We encourage you to register early! To register a group larger than five, please contact Taylor Hughey, Alliance Outreach Manager, at taylor@vecaa.org.

Scholarships and professional development are available. Contact taylor@vecaa.org with any questions.

Visit the Alliance website for more information and to register.

Advisory Council Seeking Public Comments – Due 1/17

The Advisory Council on Child Poverty and Strengthening Families is seeking public comment on their next round of recommendations to the Legislature and the Administration regarding how best to end childhood poverty in Vermont.

Commenters can respond to the 2019 recommendations, which the Council hopes to build on, or offer responses to topics such as: the biggest challenges facing Vermonters in poverty today; circumstances that put Vermonters in poverty and barriers that keep them there; or, actions to take that would help Vermonters move out of poverty.

Comments can be submitted to MCannella@leg.state.vt.us – please type “public comments for the Advisory Council” in the subject line. Responses are requested by Friday, January 17.

Alliance Monthly Equity Discussion – “The Head Start Equity Academy” – 1/17 

Join a group of peers and colleagues from the early childhood community to engage in sustained learning about anti-racism, equity, and inclusion. The Alliance hosts a monthly, salon-style Equity Discussion Group via Zoom. Our next session is coming up on Friday, January 17, at 1:00 pm.

The discussion will be led by Holly Moriglioni, the Children’s Services and Professional Development Manager at Champlain Valley Head Start. Our focus will be the Head Start Equity Academy, whose goal is to support Head Start Programs to incorporate an equity lens into all aspects of program planning and development and to establish a practice of continuous and systematic assessment.

Register on Zoom to receive the meeting link.

Apply to Represent Vermont at Strolling Thunder – Deadline 1/31

ZERO TO THREE, a nationwide early childhood organization that works to ensure that babies and toddlers benefit from the early connections that are critical to their well-being and development, is looking for a Vermont parent/guardian and their baby or toddler (under the age of three) to participate in this year’s Strolling Thunder, an in-person event held in Washington, D.C., to bring national attention to what babies – and families – need to thrive.

On May 20, ZERO TO THREE will bring 51 families with a baby under three – one from every state and Washington, DC – to Capitol Hill for Strolling Thunder. No advocacy experience is necessary. ZERO TO THREE will cover travel expenses and will provide selected families with training and support for their meetings with their Members of Congress.

The deadline to apply is January 31. For more information and to submit an application, visit the Strolling Thunder website.

BBF RAPID Survey Project 

Building Bright Futures is collaborating with the RAPID Survey Project to survey Vermonters to identify key needs, challenges, and successes to inform early childhood policy and programming. This survey is an ongoing national survey of households with children under 6 designed to gather essential information on the needs and well-being of children and the important adults in their lives. The RAPID Survey Project is in search of parents of young children (birth to 5 years old) to participate in their ongoing survey. 

Visit this link to see if you are eligible to participate. If you are, please complete the 15-minute survey. You will be emailed a $5 gift card two weeks later.