Vermont Integration Project: Building Integration in Vermont’s B-5 Early Childhood Systems (VIP B-5)

Vermont has been awarded a $23 million federal grant to strengthen the state’s early childhood system, support the early childhood workforce and improve the quality and availability of services for children from birth to age 5. The Preschool Development Grant (PDG) Renewal Grant will provide the state with approximately $7.7 million per year for three years (2023–2025), with $2 million of subgrants going to local communities to support mental health care for children and families, high-quality child care and family engagement along with support for the workforce required.

The award will support Vermont in improving service delivery across the early childhood system broadly, including child care, Universal Prekindergarten Education, health care, mental health care and other services and programs that support the health and well-being of Vermont children and their families.

The grant was awarded to the Vermont Agency of Human Services’ Child Development Division and will be co-directed by Building Bright Futures, the Vermont Agency of Education, the Vermont Department of Mental Health and the Vermont Department of Health’s Division of Maternal and Child Health.

Find out more about the focus of VIP B-5, the timeline, partners, and activities and access primary grant documents below.

VIP B-5 Logic Model Overview of VIP B-5 Activities Read the PDG Award Press Release Submit a question about VIP B-5 Watch a recording of the kick-off meeting View the slides

Do you have a question about Vermont Integration Project: Building Integration in Vermont’s B-5 Early Childhood Systems (VIP B-5)? Please submit it here and it will be shared with the PDG Directors, who meet regularly.

VIP B-5 Priorities:

VIP B-5 will allow Vermont to build on our existing infrastructure and strong partnerships to improve equitable and inclusive access and quality in our system, positively impacting child and family outcomes by: 

• Prioritize equitable and inclusive access to Vermont’s mixed-delivery system of early childhood care and education, which includes licensed family and center-based child care programs, public schools, Head Start and community-based organizations.
• Support the early childhood workforce by providing professional development and training opportunities, utilization of the Vermont Early Learning Standards and better integrating health and mental health care with early childhood care and education programs.
• Seek out input from families about the needs of Vermont’s young children, create leadership opportunities for families and increase access to early childhood resources, services and supports.
• Update Vermont’s Early Childhood Action Plan (VECAP), the five-year strategic plan for the state’s early childhood system.
• Strengthen monitoring and accountability practices through data integration, evaluation and continuous quality improvement efforts.

Timeline and Funding:

How much?

• $7,744,080 annually for 3 years with potential renewal opportunities

How long?

• 3-year renewal award
• Year 1 December 31, 2022 – December 30, 2023
• Year 2 December 31, 2023 – December 30, 2024
• Year 3 December 31, 2024 – December 30, 2025

Who is involved?

VIP B-5 Directors Team: The following partners have agreed to designate staff to serve as the PDG Directors and Key Implementation Partners and commit to carrying out their collaborative roles and responsibilities in the grant to strengthen systems and supports for young children and families.

• State Designated Applicant: Agency of Human Services; Department for Children and Families; Child Development Division
• Building Bright Futures; Vermont’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council
• Vermont Agency of Education
• Vermont Department of Health; Maternal and Child Health Division
• Agency of Human Services; Vermont Department of Mental Health

The Director’s Team will be responsible for communication; public-private partnerships to execute grant activities; monitoring, reporting, and evaluation; and securing match funds.

Vermont’s broad early childhood system stakeholders: The majority of the projects outlined below will require stakeholder participation in many forms including the execution of $2M of subgrants to enhance quality and expand access in each year of the grant. 

PDG Planning Grant (2019)

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 funds DCF and several partners (including BBF) in achieving four key goals:

• A needs assessment and strategic planning for Vermont’s early childhood system. Read the Final report or watch the Needs Assessment and Strategic Vision webinar here.
• Enhanced collaboration and coordination among early care and education providers in a mixed-delivery system
• More parent choice and knowledge about the early care and education programs
• Sharing best practices and incremental improvements to the early care and education system

Find out more about the 2019 PDG Planning Grant