Over the past year, Building Bright Futures undertook an information gathering effort through a survey and stakeholder discussions to determine areas of consensus, and barriers impeding progress toward integration in the early childhood system. The guiding questions of this effort included:
- What are the key components of an integrated prenatal to age 8 early childhood system, and what’s currently in place in Vermont?
- What are the persistent barriers Vermont faces to achieve these components of an integrated system?
- Where are the opportunities for improvement to reach true integration for our prenatal to age 8 system?
- What additional data and information is needed to inform decision-making related to integration?
We compiled and presented our findings in a new issue brief titled “Integration in Vermont’s Early Childhood System.”
Integration within Vermont’s early childhood system continues to be a priority outlined in the Vermont Early Childhood Action Plan (VECAP). This brief outlines stakeholders’ perspectives on the current state of integration in Vermont’s early childhood system and describes an ongoing effort to move us closer to the vision we have collectively developed.