Main Street Alliance Call for Action

Along with their national parent organization, Main Street Alliance of Vermont is advocating in Washington, DC on behalf of small businesses across the country who are fighting to stay afloat during this COVID-19 pandemic. Yesterday, the Paycheck Protection Program officially ran out of funds. While additional funding is necessary and this program has served some businesses and their particular needs, we are hearing over and over again that more needs to be done to truly meet the broader scope and scale of needs of businesses.

Main Street Alliance asks that you take action and share your stories! We need to tell Congress what #SmallBizNeedsNOW. 

Share your story on video using this hashtag and tag @SenatorLeahy, @SenatorBern, and @PeterWelch on Twitter so they see it.

Main Street Alliance has a Social Medial Action Toolkit with instructions on who to target, how to post, and the most important part of your story to share. For more information about Main Street Alliance’s policy platform, visit their dedicated COVID-19 Website

To connect directly with Morgan Nichols, Vermont State Director, email her at morgan@mainstreetalliance.org

Stimulus Check Information for Low-Income Vermonters

Voices for Vermont’s Children and Vermont Legal Aid are helping connect low-income Vermonters with their individual COVID-19 Economic Impact Payment. Some individuals receiving public assistance may not realize that if they did not file taxes recently, submitting an additional form is a requirement for getting the stimulus payment. The IRS recently launched the simple return for people whose income did not meet the threshold to file taxes in 2018/19.

Help spread the word about this requirement and this resource by boosting their social media campaign (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter). More information can be found on Vermont Legal Aid’s CARES Act Information page.

Additionally, Vermont Legal Aid is hosting an upcoming virtual town hall on unemployment benefit changes during the COVID-19 crisis at 10:00 am on Thursday, April 23. Tune in via Zoom or Facebook.

Register for the Alliance's April 2020 Webinar Series

The Alliance kicked off its April 2020 Webinar Series this week with a workshop on Advocacy 101 for the Early Childhood Community. Use this form to register for an upcoming session (call-in information will be distributed to registrants by email).

• Monday, April 20, 11:00 am-12:00 pm: Virtual Advocacy 101
• Monday, April 27, 11:00 am-12:00 pm: Promoting Equity in COVID-19 Response
• Monday, May 4, 11:00 am-12:00 pm: Getting Back to Advocacy on Child Care and Early Education with Let’s Grow Kids

If you have any questions, please reach out to Alliance Public Engagement Director Charlie Gliserman at charlie@vecaa.org or 802-595-9913.

Upcoming Early Childhood Forums on Childcare

Building Bright Futures and the Vermont DCF Child Development Division (CDD) will continue their series of forums to answer questions about childcare. Their first forum on April 10, now accessible online, had over 240 attendees and covered many different topics. The next forum will focus on tools to support families, continuity of learning for pre-K, 166 funding during the closure period, the Child Care Stabilization Program, and the definition of essential persons who qualify for child care. Representatives from CDD will clarify guidance for parents, childcare and after school providers, and early childhood partners.

• Friday, April 17, 1:00-2:00 pm
• Friday, April 24, 1:00-2:00 pm

Submit your questions in advance via this online form.

To access the forums, register via Eventbrite.