Farm to School and Early Childhood Advocacy Day – 2/6

Coordinated by the Vermont Farm to School Network

Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, Vermont State House, Montpelier

Join advocates to celebrate and raise awareness of Farm to School and Early Childhood in Vermont. Activities include morning testimony in the House Education and Senate Health and Welfare Committees, a joint House and Senate Agriculture Committee Hearing from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, school lunch served in the cafeteria with the opportunity to connect with your legislators, a musical devotional with Newbrook Elementary students on the House Floor at 1:00 pm, and a celebratory gathering from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm in the cafeteria to recognize the awardees of grants by the Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets and to share stories, feature displays, and network.

Find more information about this event on the Vermont Farm to School Network website. Plus, fill out this Supporter Card to be delivered to your Legislator and download the event poster for sharing within your community. RSVP for the day here.

Voices for Vermont's Children Advocacy Day – 2/12

Coordinated by Voices for Vermont's Children  

Tuesday, February 12, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, Vermont State House, Montpelier 

Voices will be set up in the Card Room outside the House chamber with information about their legislative agenda, coalitions, and campaigns. Voices will be formally launching their campaign to establish an Office of Child Advocate to provide independent oversight and recommendations for the child protection system, and talking with legislators about the need to strengthen the Reach Up income assistance program for Vermont families living in extreme poverty.

Visit the event listing for more information, or call 229-6377 or email vtkids@voicesforvtkids.org to learn more.

Attend a Budget Hearing – 2/25

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees are hosting public hearings at locations around the state on the evening of Monday, February 25th to hear what Vermonters think should be included in the FY20 state budget. Details on the hearing are forthcoming.

Save the date to attend the hearing to testify or plan to submit written comments on an issue on the Alliance's 2019 Legislative Agenda. Lead organizations will be crafting talking points on issues on the Agenda in the coming weeks. Let us know if you plan to testify or submit comments by emailing Kelly Ault at Kelly@vecaa.org.

Remember to check the Alliance website for all upcoming events related to early childhood advocacy. If you have an event to share, email details to Sarah at sarah@vecaa.org.

Alliance Members, Working Together – Join Us as a Member!

The Alliance's annual membership cycle is open for 2019 – join us today! 

Early childhood organizations, professionals, providers, parents, and employers are working together to improve the lives of Vermont's young children and families. As members of the Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance, advocates advance a shared early childhood Legislative Agenda using a Collective Impact organizational framework. The Alliance serves as a supporting Backbone Organization for early childhood legislative advocacy. The components of Collective Impact help multi-sector stakeholders work within an organized network to collaborate effectively on solving complex, long-term social problems.

The following testimonials speak to the value of working together:

"As someone who is at the State House every day, you really can't get a handle on everything that's going on, you can't be everywhere at the same time. One of the real strong points for us to participate in the Alliance is we cover things for each other which is really helpful."

– Erhard Mahnke, Vermont Affordable Housing Coalition

"There's a real strength in having multiple organizations together at the table."

– Sarah Kenney, Let's Grow Kids 

"I attended Early Childhood Day at the Legislature and had my first tour of the State House. Afterwards, I felt so much more comfortable with going to the State House and meeting with my legislator. It made it easier for me to have a couple of meetings there that year."

– Nancy Bloomfield, The Family Place

New and returning members can join the Alliance's list of early childhood organizations, professionals, providers, parents, and employers that will work together during the 2019 Legislative Session to improve public policies that impact young children from birth to age eight. Scroll below to read about the benefits of being a member.

You can join or renew your membership by submitting a membership form and payment in the Non-Profit/Association/Business Member category for $75 or as an Individual Member for $20. Membership dues waivers can be requested from Kelly Ault at kelly@vecaa.org.

The Alliance is a program of the Vermont Community Loan Fund which is a Section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Therefore, your membership donation may qualify as a charitable deduction for federal income tax purposes.

15 State Street | Montpelier , Vermont 05602

https://vecaa.org

The Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance is a program of the Vermont Community Loan Fund.