In December the Addison Council was visited by John Elder, Middlebury College Professor Emeritus, who spoke about the recent gathering at Breadloaf, “Vermont 2050 Eco Civ Workshop: Rethinking the Urban-Rural Relationship. A diverse group was assembled to consider what Vermont might look like in 2050. One project that came out of the discussion was the idea of “new lives for old buildings” to use community spaces such as churches, Grange Halls, and other buildings that are no longer being fully utilized, and reimagine them as spaces for elders & childcare, giving new life to seldom used spaces and creating partnerships with shared expenses and use. This discussion is in beginning stages but was brought to the attention of the Lt. Gov. Zuckerman.
Cheryl Mitchell from the Early Care and Learning Partnership gave the following overview of what the ECLP is and the projects on which it’s working. They are currently working with Porter Hospital on a study to discover if high quality child care can reduce family stress and provide better outcomes for children and families.
Early Care and Learning Partnership, Inc., Draft of Projects and Activities, 11/30/19
| Projects | Activities | Comments |
| Public Education about Early Learning and Care | ECLP Fairs
Resource Booklet Web Site |
Partnership with BBF
Partnership with Addy Indy Being created with VCF |
| Connecting Health Care and Child Care | Partnership with Porter Practices
Partnership with Child Care Directors Partnership with Child Care Homes |
Listening Partners and Child Care Fund
Resource Booklet and Prof. Dev. Resource Booklet and Prof. Dev. |
| Research | Rapid Learning Projects
Porter Cohort Study |
VCHIP Model
Grant Request to RWJF |
| Strengthening the Workforce | Enhancing Salaries and Benefits
Professional Development Options Master’s Degree Program with Castleton University |
Child Care Fund
Partnering with Northern Lights and Shared Service Hub Mentoring New Teachers |
| Supporting Families | Increasing Availability of Care
Reducing Cost of Care Creating Short and Long Term Support |
New Lives for Old Buildings
LGK advocacy Listening Partners |
| Supporting the Business Community | Seminars
Interactive Web Site Individualized support for employees |
Partnership with COC and ACEDC
Partnership CDD, VCF, et. alia Listening Partners |
Resource Booklet: A Hard Copy listing of child care and health care providers. Available in all HR offices.
ECLP Fairs: Face to face opportunities for families to learn about programs and resources in Addison County.
Child Care Fund: A fund held at the Vermont Community Foundation that can be used to: create new child care options, reduce tuitions for families, enhance salaries and benefits for the workforce.
Listening Partners: Volunteers who meet with families, helping them navigate the myriad resources available and staying in touch for emotional support until children enter third grade.
VCHIP Model: Quality improvement method that can test new ideas and their results in a timely manner.
Cohort Study: Interdisciplinary learning based on data provided by all participating parents of children born at Porter during 2020.
Graduate Program: Interdisciplinary learning model for health, education, and social support.
Building Bright Futures Parent Engagement
The State of Vermont was awarded Preschool Development Grant 1.0 in 2019. Part of this grant is to help raise parent voices throughout the State.
BBF is looking for Parent Leaders to survey communities and report findings. They will be supported by myself and a Parent Leader Supervisor. BBF is also working closely with Renee Kelly of Head Start on the project.
Parents will help Vermont create a plan to partner with families by talking with other parents and sharing what it’s like to raise a family here. The Building Bright Futures (BBF) Families and Communities Committee understands that strong parents and communities grow healthy, happy kids.
We are committed to creating an environment where the vision for Vermont’s children is created by families, not for them. We hope that together we can help family voices lead in Vermont’s early childhood system – improving the way programs and services related to child care, health, and family supports are delivered.
Who: If you are a parent of a child age birth through eight, you are perfect!
What: Take part in short trainings on topics like communication, meeting facilitation, and working with groups – then gather friends and community members to share their experiences.
