Building Bright Futures Regional Councils awards $100,000 in Vermont Early Childhood Fund grants to improve the well-being of children, families and communities Building Bright Futures (BBF) announced seven recipients of grants from the Vermont Early Childhood Fund (VECF). Grantees will work with BBF Regional Councils to improve the well-being of children (prenatal–age 8) and families, […]
Building Bright Futures is pleased to announce the creation of the Vermont Early Childhood Fund (VECF) providing grants of $10,000-$20,000 for up to 7 grantees to support creative solutions that will improve the well-being of children (prenatal-age 8), families, as well as the Vermont communities in which they live. Each year BBF Regional Councils, the […]
When students feel connected to their schools, peers, and teachers, they build trust and we know that supportive relationships are a key protective factor for young children. The Restorative Practices Framework provides tools for teachers to help foster a sense of connectedness in their classroom through mindful awareness opportunities. Restorative Practice Circles are a place […]
Overview The SUD – Making the Systems Work for Families Project is embedded in the BBF statewide network. To describe this network briefly, BBF has 12 regions throughout Vermont that align with the Agency of Human Services districts. Each regional early childhood council, supported by one of BBF’s Regional Council Coordinators, brings together community members […]
The Chittenden Regional Council is committed to honoring and valuing the voices of families that live in our community, and we hold those voices up each and every time we work together towards our common goals. Whether or not families are at our physical meeting tables, their seat is arguably the most important, and their perspectives are critical […]
Bright Spots: In partnership with Champlain Valley Head Start, our Substance Use Disorder Families Collective Impact project is moving forward with the implementation of a new parenting curriculum from the Devereux Center for Resilient Children called, Your Journey Together (YJT).YJT shows parents how to use ordinary, everyday routines, activities and interactions as resilience-building opportunity through […]
Bright Spots: Chittenden’s BBF Regional Council continues to support our community by offering additional Early MTSS trainings in Module 2 and 3 this winter. The turnout and provider engagement from the EMTSS trainings earlier this fall was overwhelmingly supportive, which speaks to the need and value of this framework. Holding these trainings aligns with our […]
The Chittenden Regional Council’s Action Plan includes the following strategy, “Children’s social and emotional needs are met.” While the language used here is simple, the action steps and research involved in doing this right is quite complex. How do we ensure that a child’s emotional needs are being met, so that they are able to […]
Chittenden’s BBF Regional Council is moving forward with our strategy to provide early care and learning professionals and service providers with Early Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) trainings in our region. In partnership with Help Me Grow, we used grant funds to hold two successful trainings in August, where about 50 professionals were trained in […]
Chittenden’s BBF Regional Council is focusing on Help Me Grow Outreach efforts this summer. We partnered with Let’s Grow Kids in June to co-host an event for families of Stonewood School North in Shelburne. LGK did a book drive, and we also purchased social emotional themed books, and talked to families about Help Me Grow, […]
Reducing the stigma of Substance Use Disorder, and reflecting on how we can do better for individuals and families that are receiving treatment supports in our community is a key action item that the Chittenden Regional Council has prioritized. Whether folks are trying to quit a substance for the first time or whether they have […]
Chittenden’s BBF Regional Council is currently working on updating our Regional Action Plan to better reflect a few new key priorities in our community. We plan to add pieces on supporting breastfeeding, aligning efforts to better serve families with substance use disorder, and keeping equity and inclusion at the center of our work. Measuring our […]