A newly released report from Building Bright Futures, The State of Vermont’s Children: 2021 Year in Review, provides an objective, data-driven assessment of young child and family well-being in Vermont. It also details progress on selected indicators and outcomes for the early care, health and education system, as well as recommendations on how best to improve outcomes for each and every child in the prenatal period to age 8 and their family.
The State of Vermont’s Children report is available for download here. If you would like a free hard copy of the report mailed to you, please complete this form.
The report includes a Data Spotlight on Vermont’s Early Childhood Workforce Crisis and includes data on:
- The decline in the child care workforce
- Implications of vacancies in Head Start and Early Head Start
- The increase in vacancies and turnover in Vermont’s Designated Mental Health Agencies and Specialized Service Agencies
- Increased supports for housing young children and families
- Increasing prevalence of children with a behavioral, emotional, developmental, and mental health conditions compared to national trends
- Stark contrasts in third grade assessments for Historically Marginalized and Historically Advantaged students
- Enrollment data for child care and Universal Prekindergarten
- 12 profiles with a data snapshot and highlights of each Regional Council’s work to address Vermont’s workforce crisis
- The 2021-2022 Policy Recommendations of the Vermont Early Childhood State Advisory Council Network
Building Bright Futures’ Executive Director Morgan Crossman says, “I hope this report makes you think critically about the current status of our early childhood system, outcomes for children and families, and the next steps we can take toward the vision outlined in the Vermont Early Childhood Action Plan. The report and recommendations are tools for legislators, policy-makers, and invested leaders to make data-informed policy decisions. We have an incredible opportunity to create the system Vermont families need. The change starts with each one of us and I’m excited to work together in the coming year to improve the lives of children and families in Vermont.”
BBF Regional Manager Linda Michniewicz, BBF Research and Data Director Dora Levinson, and Jen Fortman, Vermont mother of two, also spoke at the Jan. 10 briefing releasing the report.
