Looking for information about the current Preschool Development Grant? Visit our main PDG page.
Vermont is committed to supporting children’s earliest experiences as they transition from home to childcare, preschool and into kindergarten. At the end of 2018, Vermont’s Child Development Division of the Department for Children and Families applied for and was awarded a federal grant known as the Preschool Development Grant Birth to Five (PDG B-5). The grant funded the Child Development Division and its key early childhood partners including BBF, the Maternal-Child Health Division of the Department of Health, and the Agency of Education proposed to utilize this grant to deliver on five key activities designed to meet the stated goals.
- Activity 1: Developing an early childhood needs assessment and related reports to document systemic needs – Read the Vermont Early Childhood Needs Assessment
- Activity 2: Updating the strategic plan for Vermont’s early childhood system, Vermont’s Early Childhood Action Plan (VECAP)
- Activity 3: Maximizing family knowledge and choice
- Activity 4: Sharing best practices and incremental improvements to the early care and education system
- Activity 5: Improving overall system quality through assessing data gaps, expanding access to data, and expanding professional development opportunities for early childhood practitioners. Quality was also prioritized through enhanced collaboration and coordination among early care and education providers in a mixed-delivery system.
Publications and Resources Resulting from PDG
- Early Childhood Systems Needs Assessment – October 2020, Building Bright Futures
- Vermont’s Early Childhood Action Plan – updated November 2020, Building Bright Futures
- Early Childhood Family Engagement Assessment Report – December 2020, Building Bright Futures
- Evaluation of Vermont’s Early Childhood Professional Development System Final Report – Education Development Center
- How Are Vermont’s Young Children and Families? Report Supplement: Early Childhood and Family Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic – January 2021, Building Bright Futures
- Promoting Inclusion and Exploring Supports for Children with Specialized Needs in Early Childhood Education Settings: Recommendations to Prevention Suspension and Expulsion, March 2021, University of Vermont, College of Education and Social Services
- The Early MTSS-123 Project Final Report – March 2021, University of Vermont, College of Education and Social Services
More Resources
- Strengthening Family and Community Partnership and Engagement – Children’s Equity Project
- Equity-Centered Data Practices – Children’s Equity Projects
- Supporting Each and Every Young Child and Family’s Full and Equitable Participation – Vermont
