| |  | Alliance ‘25 Legislative Agenda Issue Spotlight – Child Care and ECE Professional Development – 3/24 The Alliance’s series of virtual Issue Spotlights, which focus on issues from the Alliance’s 2025 Legislative Agenda, continues next week. The next session will be held Monday, March 24, from 3:30 to 4:30 pm, and will provide updates on the status on advocacy related to Act 76 implementation and ECE professional development legislation. Led by Sarah Kenney, Chief Policy Officer, and Jen Horowitz, Policy and Research Director, at Let’s Grow Kids, and Beth Wallace, Director for Early Childhood Educator Engagement at the Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children, this session is a great opportunity to learn more about these issues, where they stand in the Legislature, and how to get involved. Register on Zoom to receive the meeting link. | | | |  | VCLF Hiring for Two Positions The Vermont Community Loan Fund (VCLF) is hiring for a Senior Staff Accountant and an Impact Investment Manager. The Senior Staff Accountant responsibilities include general ledger accounting transactions, maintaining general and subsidiary ledgers, government reporting, and preparing financial statements. The Impact Investment Manager will focus on impact investor and donor relations, investment and grant management, events, and support for the Board of Directors. For more information and to apply for these positions, visit the VCLF website. | | | |  | BBF Panel on Current Status of Act 76 – 3/24 On Monday, March 24, from 1:30 – 3:00 pm, Building Bright Futures (BBF) is hosting an online panel on the impacts and current status of Act 76, Vermont’s historic child care bill, and other recent investments and programs in Vermont’s early education and child care system. Attendees will gain insights into system-wide data, successes, and ongoing challenges, while learning about the collaborative efforts of organizations contributing to these advancements. Register on Zoom to receive the meeting link. | | | | VECF Opportunity Grants Applications Open 3/17 On Monday, March 17, Building Bright Futures (BBF) will begin accepting applications for Vermont Early Childhood Fund (VECF) Opportunity Grants for the July 1–December 30, 2025 funding period. VECF supports creative solutions that will improve the well-being of children from the prenatal period to age 8, their families, and the Vermont communities where they live. Opportunity Grants will provide $10,000–$80,000 in funding to about 25 recipients, with the goal of supporting easy-to-achieve solutions in communities throughout Vermont. Please note that awards will be made to projects and programs with existing staff and will not fund hiring new staff or staff that is not already in place. This round of funding will distribute $2 million to support Vermont’s early childhood system. Grants are open to nonprofits, businesses, municipalities, and schools. Applications are due by Friday, April 11. For more information, visit the BBF website, or attend a virtual grant information session on Tuesday, March 25, at 12:00 pm or 6:00 pm. | | | |  | Vermont Kindergarten Conference – 3/26 Registration is open for the 2025 Vermont Kindergarten Conference on Wednesday, March 26, at the DoubleTree in South Burlington. Workshop topics include outdoor education, whole-body learning, and strategies for enhancing foundational reading skills. Christine Hertz Housman, the keynote speaker, will highlight how teachers can foster emergent literacy skills and empower children with tools to express their unique voices. Visit the conference website for more information and to register. | | | | | |  | | | | | The Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance is a statewide coalition formed in 2000 of early childhood professionals, parents, organizations, businesses, and strategic partners committed to improving public policies that impact young children between birth and age eight in the areas of health, safety, food security, economic security, and early care and education. The Alliance crafts an annual Legislative Agenda in partnership with early childhood organizations, provides year-round advocacy support, and facilitates meaningful interactions with policymakers at key times during the decision making process. | | | | 7 School Street | Montpelier , Vermont 05602 vecaa.org The Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance is a program of the Vermont Community Loan Fund. | | | | | | | | | |
