Children's Integrated Services (CIS)

CIS maximizes young children’s health, development, and learning by providing individualized support to families and early care and education programs. These essential and federally mandated services are designed to lessen, if not eliminate, the need for future services that are costlier and less efficient. CIS has been shown to be effective in mitigating the effects of childhood trauma for thousands of Vermont families.

Since CIS began in 2009, funding has remained flat, while the demand and actual costs to the 12 regional non-profit agencies that provide these services have steadily increased. This leads to a critical lack of capacity to serve children and families who struggle with multiple risk factors including increased child welfare involvement, increased exposure to parental opiate use, poverty, homelessness, and increased autism prevalence.

The Alliance supports the lead organizations’ ongoing efforts to secure an increased investment in CIS, which would ensure continued progress on family safety and stability; healthy child development; and young children’s access to quality early care and education. A statewide CIS budget increase in the amount of $2.8 million would allow the 12 regional non-profit agencies that deliver CIS to continue to meet the needs of children and families.

The Governor’s Recommended FY22 Budget proposed to level fund CIS. With strong encouragement from the House Human Services Committee, the House approved a budget that increases funding to the program by $1.492m for FY22.  This would be the first major funding increase to CIS in over ten years.  This level of funding, while still short of the state’s own estimate of what would meet program needs, would bring the average case reimbursement rate from $502 per month per case to approximately $600 per month per case.

Advocacy supporting this new funding has now shifted to the Senate, which is currently reviewing the House budget proposal.

Continue reading for more information on this priority issue, including data and talking points, connections to the lead organization, and advocacy tools.

Data and Talking Points

• Children’s Integrated Services (CIS) is a unique and noteworthy innovation in the delivery of evidence-based, informed, and integrated services to families with young children.
• The CIS model requires that providers not only cooperate or collaborate, but fully integrate the care they provide families. This ensures integrated data across the system, informed decisions around priorities and funding, and a seamless experience for Vermont families.
• By fully funding CIS now, the state of Vermont will save seven to ten times that amount as a return on investment by preventing the high cost consequences of childhood trauma in adults including incarceration, chronic medical conditions, substance abuse, and suicide.
• CIS has been level funded since it was created in 2009.

Resources and Advocacy Tools

• Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance 2021 Legislative Agenda
• Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance Issue Page – CIS

Get Involved

• Watch the CIS Issue Session from our 2021 Early Childhood Day at the Legislature

Schedule an Advocacy Training

Schedule an Alliance training for a group of early childhood professionals, providers, parents, or employers interested in strengthening their advocacy skills or learning more about the issues on the Alliance’s Legislative Agenda. Be informed and ensure your voice is heard on issues impacting Vermont's young children and families!

To set up a training, email Matt Levin, Alliance Executive Director, at matt@vecaa.org.