| | New State Initiatives to Support Child Care Availability In a press conference on Tuesday, August 18, the state announced three new strategies to increase the capacity of the child care system in Vermont to support school reopening needs. Home-based providers will be able to be reimbursed for more than four hours of care of school-aged children on school days, a change that will add about 3,000 spots to help parents who are navigating different school schedules for in-person learning. The state is also earmarking $7 million in federal funds to develop regional child care hubs in business and municipal spaces for school-aged children on remote learning days. This is expected to create about 7,000 slots. CDD will also be relaxing regulations for newly registered child care providers, with more use of provisional licenses. Details on all of these initiatives are still preliminary. Look for more information in the coming days on the Department for Children and Families website. | | | | BBF Webinar: Vermont Needs Assessment and Strategic Vision On Monday, August 24, from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm, Building Bright Futures (BBF) will host a webinar on the current needs and strategic vision for Vermont's early childhood system. BBF will present the birth-to-five system's needs assessment conducted to identify how well Vermont is meeting children’s early care, education, and health needs – especially those of children from vulnerable, underserved, and rural populations. BBF will also present progress toward an updated, data informed early childhood strategy. Register today! | | | |  | Alliance Equity Discussion Group The Alliance’s monthly, salon-style discussion group continues this Friday, August 21 from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm. Join a group of peers engaged in sustained learning about antiracism and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Discussion materials and guided questions will be distributed before each session. Email Amy Russo-Perler at amy@vecaa.org to join! | | | | | | Meet the Lead Organizations
Each issue on the Alliance’s annual Legislative Agenda has one or more identified Lead Organizations. A lead organization performs several tasks, including researching and writing proposals for issues to be included on the Legislative Agenda, serving as a policy expert on the issue, and working with Alliance staff to secure testimony for committees and engaging legislators. | | | |  | Vermont Family Network Vermont Family Network (VFN) is a statewide family support and advocacy organization. VFN works to empower and support families of children and youth with special needs throughout Vermont by giving a strong start, lifting families’ voices, and advancing inclusive communities. VFN is the federally designated Parent Training and Information Center and the Family-to-Family Health Information Center, as well as the state’s national Family Voices and Parent to Parent USA affiliate. The organization is also home to the unique Puppets in Education program which serves students in Vermont and beyond, helping them to deal with issues like bullying, anxiety, and abuse. For over 30 years, VFN has been assisting families with health, developmental and educational concerns, providing support, information, and training. Along with the Vermont Parent Child Center Network and the Winston Prouty Center, VFN serves as a Lead Organization for the Children’s Integrated Services (CIS) issue on the Alliance’s 2020 Legislative Agenda. The Lead Organizations seek to secure an increased investment in CIS, to ensure continued progress on family safety and stability, healthy child development, and young children’s access to quality early care and education. To learn more about the Vermont Family Network, visit their website. | | | | | |  | | | | | 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. | | | | 15 State Street | Montpelier , Vermont 05602 vecaa.org The Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance is a program of the Vermont Community Loan Fund. | | | | | | | | | |
