In January 2022, BBF awarded the following Vermont Early Childhood Fund grants:
Franklin Grand Isle Community Action, a division of CVOEO, in Franklin/Grand Isle Counties
Franklin Grand Isle Community Action Transportation Project
Expanding access to services for children and families by addressing their transportation barriers. The program will support eligible families by providing gas cards and financial assistance with vehicle repairs, inspections, and winter tires purchases. This project addresses a critical gap in the social service system, as funding to address transportation needs is very limited and often not available at all.
Early Care and Learning Partnership in Addison County
Resilience and Understanding: Arts with Children Project
A workforce and resilience building project providing hands-on experiences in creative and culinary arts to early care and learning professionals and the children and families they serve. This three-part project includes a Castleton University course for educators called Meaning Making and Creative Expression, sponsorship for educators to attend the Early Educators Summer Institute, and an artist-in-residence program with women from the Viva El Sabor Culinary Collective to visit five Addison early care and learning programs. During a week-long intensive, the women of the Collective will share indigenous cooking, art, and stories of resilience about coming to Vermont with children and teachers to inspire class projects related to resilience, diversity, and inclusion. The project’s name, RUACH, is a traditional word for the spirit of life that moves through us all.
Good Beginnings of Central Vermont in Washington County
Postpartum Support Project
Working in partnership with Central Vermont Medical Center (CVMC) and the Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice Maternal Child Health team, Good Beginnings will connect prenatally with all families birthing at CVMC in 2022 to ensure that each family has information about available perinatal support options and to help create a “postpartum support plan” for their family. The VECF grant also provides financial assistance for income-eligible families to access the perinatal support services identified in their plan.
ONEArts Community School in Chittenden County
Full Story School Racial Justice within Early Education Consortium
Illuminating and addressing racial bias in early educational spaces through educator practice, discussion, and development. The Full Story School will work with educators from several Chittenden County-area programs in a collaborative practice to explore personal and systemic biases. Educators will participate in reflection, collaboration, communion, and growth as a step to actively combat racist practices within the classroom environment now and in the future.
Read our news story about this project.
Rutland County Parent Child Center in Rutland County
ECE Mentorship Workforce Development Project
Expanding on-the-job training for interns and apprentices serving in the RCPCC Rutland and Brandon early education programs. The project addresses the state’s need for qualified and educated professionals and expands the type of mentorship that promotes pre-professionals to develop skills and passion and to choose to enter the field.
Read our news story about this project.
Southwestern Vermont Medical Center in Bennington County
Bennington CIS Hearing and Vision Screening Project
Bennington County’s Children’s Integrated Services (CIS) Early Intervention Program will provide vision and hearing screenings to eligible children birth to age 3. Families who are eligible for services through the IDEA – Part C early intervention services include children (birth to age 3) who are experiencing developmental delays or who have a diagnosed condition that has a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay. CIS/Early Intervention will complete screenings using the Spot Vision Screener and Welch Allyn OAE at the initial evaluation, in the child’s natural environment where they feel most comfortable. Then the children will be re-checked at their annual evaluation or sooner if necessary. Further assessment by ophthalmology and/or audiology providers will be provided as needed, based on the child’s developmental delay/diagnosis .
Read our news story about this project.
