2024 Policy Recommendations of the Vermont Early Childhood State Advisory Council Network
On October 23, 2023, the State Advisory Council (SAC) formally endorsed the Policy Recommendations of the Vermont Early Childhood State Advisory Council Network for 2024. These annual recommendations represent the most pressing and actionable priorities for early childhood stakeholders throughout the Building Bright Futures Network.
BBF also released a new Policy Playbook explaining what the recommendations mean, why they matter, and some of the ways they can be put into action. The Policy Playbook outlines the process for developing recommendations and provides more information on each recommendation.
The State Advisory Council (SAC) is Vermont’s Governor-appointed, primary advisory body on the well-being of children from the prenatal period through age 8 and their families. In partnership with Vermont’s Early Childhood Action Plan (VECAP) Committees and the Regional Councils, the SAC sets priorities and strategic direction for statewide initiatives using the VECAP and up-to-date data. The annual recommendations are developed with input across all BBF Network gatherings and seek to identify the current gaps and needs in policy, promote action in strategic areas for the coming year, ensure recommendations are measurable, and move Vermont toward a more equitable early childhood system.
Watch Our Video on the Policy Recommendations
Goals of the Policy Recommendations
While the Policy Recommendations can be leveraged in a variety of ways, their foundational goal is to provide a common agenda and unifying vision for the state’s early childhood system and its partners. The annual Policy Recommendations are a tool that requires both championing and monitoring in order to be successful.
- Elevate urgent, statewide issues and priorities that need to be addressed from across the Network and Vermont’s early childhood partners more broadly
- Provide common language to inform decision-making and support advocacy efforts
- Communicate about cross-sector early childhood needs and priorities to decision-makers
- Create accountability for policy change toward the vision outlined in Vermont’s Early Childhood Action Plan (VECAP)