As the 2019 fiscal year comes to a close, the Southeast Vermont BBF Council has been reviewing our priority areas. In these reviews, we have been looking at achievements, challenges, opportunities, and plans for moving forward. Below are one success, one opportunity for moving forward, and an exciting initiative for the coming year.
Success: Between October and April, there was a concerted effort of preK partner programs to seek a seat on the Brattleboro Town School Board. In February, there was a special meeting with legislators where eight preK partners had a chance to speak about the successes and challenges of partnering under Act 166. In April, the Brattleboro Town School Board voted to add a preK seat to the table on equal footing with the public schools and head start program. The Southeast Vermont BBF Council is hopeful that the newly merged district school board will continue to provide preK partners with a seat at the table.
Opportunity: During the review of the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) priority area, a crosswalk between the council action plan and the MCH activities was presented to show the large overlap and opportunities for increased collaboration. There was also a chance for council members to ask questions and become empowered to use MCH resources in the future.
In the coming year, the Southeast Vermont BBF Council will start to implement the Basics, a socio-ecological saturation campaign to close the achievement gap in kindergarten readiness. The initiative is designed to reach all parents of children 0-3 as well as the community as a whole. This program is designed to promote equity and will hopefully improve relationships, understanding, and outcomes for all children.
