We’re asking agencies and organizations that have statewide leadership opportunities for families and caregivers to advise on policy making, program implementation, or other system-wide efforts to complete the Family Leadership Inventory survey by Friday, May 3.
Information collected from the survey will guide the development of an accessible resource that informs statewide practices to make sure families play a leading role in Vermont early childhood systems.
For this survey, we’re focusing on opportunities for families with children from the prenatal period to age 8. Please feel free to forward or share this survey with other groups who may have relevant opportunities to share.
The survey uses the words “families,” “parents,” and “caregivers” interchangeably. When we use this language, it refers to anyone who is playing a primary caregiving role in a child’s life. We recognize that family structures differ and that this can include grandparents, foster parents, etc.
This inventory will illustrate the many powerful ways that family leadership is growing in our state, and give us insight into where there might be gaps in the types of opportunities or supports we provide to parent leaders. We applaud the many programs and agencies that are engaging parents on boards and advisory committees, through two-generation approaches and programmatic surveys, and through other strategies to improve relationships between families and service providers caring for children.
Through this survey, we hope to learn about the opportunities across the early childhood system where parents serve as equal decision-makers, change makers, and critical voices that hold our system accountable. We also hope it will teach us about the intentional practices, values, and steps that are setting up organizations and agencies for success in supporting meaningful family leadership.
This inventory is part of carrying out the Vermont Early Childhood Action Plan (VECAP), which includes the goal that families and communities play a leading role in children’s well-being. This project is also a part of the Preschool Development Grant (VIP B-5), under which BBF has committed to convening partners to identify where opportunities for parent and family leadership exist, what resources are available, and how to best make connections and communicate opportunities across Vermont.
