Building Bright Futures

"Thanks to Vermont’s historic Act 76, child care subsidies are now available to more families than ever before," according to a new research brief from our partners at Child Trends.

www.buildingbrightfutures.org/vermonts-chi...

Vermont SNAP data was just shared with the Trump Admin—putting the privacy of Vermont families at risk. Join our Data & Evaluation Committee Thurs, Aug 14 at 1 PM to develop policy recs that protect against harm and promote safe access of important programs. #DataJustice #SNAP

More Affordable and Available Housing Would Mean Fewer Children and Young People Experiencing Homelessness To reduce the number of students experiencing homelessness and promote upward mobility for children and young people, local leaders should focus on the root causes of homelessness and expand housing o...

According to data from the National Center for Homeless Education, the number of students in prekindergarten to 12th grade experiencing homelessness nationally increased nearly 80 percent in the last 17 years.

nche.ed.gov/data-and-sta...

www.urban.org/urban-wire/m...

Building Bright Futures awards $2.9 million in early childhood support Building Bright Futures awards $2.9 million in early childhood support. The Vermont funding partnership’s fourth and final round of grants includes $1.9 million awarded to new projects, with an additi...

BBF's 4th and final round of Vermont Early Childhood Fund funding, grants have been awarded! Projects improve the lives of children 0 to 8 in innovative ways across Vermont's early childhood system.

www.buildingbrightfutures.org/vecf/

philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/buildin...

Approaches to Improving Early Educators' Compensation - Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center This brief examines the types of policy approaches states are taking to strengthen their early learning systems and better support educators, families, and children in their own communities.

Prenatal-to-Three's Policy Impact Center recent research brief offers approaches to improving early childhood educators's compensation.

pn3policy.org/approaches-t...

Benefits of Play in Early Childhood Education for Growth and Learning - EduTHOUGHTS Let’s understand the key benefits of play in early childhood education. Learn how play fosters growth, creativity, social skills in young learners.

A child's most important work is play. EduTHOUGHTS shares some of the reasons way and some tips to create play based learning environments for young children.

sajeevms.com/2024/11/15/b...

How to Evaluate the Influence of Outdoor Playspaces on Child Development - Child Trends This blog highlights tools and best practices for evaluating the mechanisms by which outdoor playspaces influence child development.

It's summer in Vermont and that means one thing for kids... Its time to get outside and PLAY!!!! Alongside the fun, play is the critical work of child development, building strong and resilient minds, bodies and nervous systems.

🛝 ⚽ 🏃‍♀️ 🌱

www.childtrends.org/publications...

Under the Surface: Confronting Access to Safe and Stable Housing for Families with Young Children You did everything “right.” Went to school. Got the degree. Landed the job. Built a life. But then your child gets sick. Over and over. Doctor visits turn into days off. Your employer grows impatient....

The Build Initiative brings us another important conversation about housing and homelessness today as a part of their Whole Child, Whole Family, Whole Systems webinar series.

buildinitiative.org/events/save-...

YouTube video by BUILD Initiative No Place to Grow Webinar

The Build Initiative offers an holistic picture of the impact of homelessness on children and families.

🏡 🌟👨‍🍼

youtu.be/38_hH3E935Q?...

A Toolkit for Schools to Inventory Data Assets and Inform Better Decisions - Child Trends

BBF harnesses data to inform policy decision. Education systems pose unique challenges to data collection and analysis. The recent Child Trends toolkit offers best practices for schools.

www.buildingbrightfutures.org/data-page/ve...

📚🍎🚸

www.childtrends.org/publications...

The current reconciliation bill being considered by congress is projected to force states cuts food support for children and families.

🍎 🍼 🥪

www.cbpp.org/research/sta...

The Rapid Survey Project is an ongoing national survey of households with children under 6 designed to gather essential information on the needs and well-being of children and the important adults in their lives.

tinyurl.com/rapidec-bbf-...

A new law opens up unpaid leave for Vermont workers  - VTDigger “It may seem like a small step, but it is very mighty because often our previous laws need to catch up with the world that we’re in today,” said Rep. Emilie Krasnow, the bill’s lead sponsor.

BBF's 2025 policy recommendations include enacting a paid family and medical leave program. While the legislature didn't take action this session, the state did take a step forward with new unpaid leave policies.

www.buildingbrightfutures.org/data-page/po...

vtdigger.org/2025/06/09/a...

A Tale of Two States: The Impact of State Policy Choices on Family Resources - Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center Since the release of our 2020 Prenatal-to-3 State Policy Roadmap, every state has increased their investment in at least one effective Roadmap policy, but the choices they have made vary considerably....

State policy matters for child and family well being. The Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center has released its 5th annual State Policy Roadmap. Check out where Vermont stands:
pn3policy.org/2024-policy-...

Explore the Roadmap:
pn3policy.org/pn-3-state-p...

pn3policy.org/a-tale-of-tw...

Vermont’s State-funded Child Care Subsidy Expansion Supports Families and Providers - Child Trends

Child Trends, BBF, and Vermont’s Child Development Division (CDD) are collaborating on a four-year research partnership to understand the implementation and effects of
recent changes to CCFAP on families and early care and educate providers.

www.childtrends.org/publications...

Pre-K Programs Expand Nationwide, But Quality Falls Behind Preschools experienced a boost in funding and enrollment nationwide, but a deeper look reveals a disparity in quality.

Vermont is a national leader in access to preK. Continued implementation and expansion faces challenges.

“If other federal sources ... start to go away, that’s going to have a really big negative impact on the states.”

www.edweek.org/teaching-lea...

New Estimates of the Number of United States Citizen and Legal Permanent Resident Children Who May Lose Eligibility for the Child Tax Credit - The Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS) This fact sheet provides new estimates of the number of American citizen and legal permanent resident children who could lose eligibility for the federal Child Tax Credit if proposals currently consid...

BBF is monitoring changes being proposed in Washington to tax policy that would impact children and families. Under this proposal, 4.5 million citizen and legal permanent resident children would no longer be eligible for the Child Tax Credit.

👶 🍼 👨‍🍼

cmsny.org/publications...

State Child Tax Credits: A Promising Policy to Improve Child Outcomes  - Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center Ever since the successful temporary expansion of the federal child tax credit (CTC) in 2021, state CTCs have become an increasingly common state policy to support families’ economic stability. Prior t...

VT state legislators are considering a bill that would:

👶 Expand the Child Tax Credit to Children 6 & under
🍼 Creates a refundable tax credit for unpaid caregivers

Follow S. 51's progress on BBF's Legislative Tracker: www.quorum.us/spreadsheet/...

pn3policy.org/state-child-...

The Vermont House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on S. 53 this week, a bill that would expand access to doula services. Keep an eye on BBF's Quorum Legislative Tracker for updates:

www.buildingbrightfutures.org/data-page/qu...

pn3policy.org/pn-3-state-p...

Guide to Evaluating Paid Family and Medical Leave Policies - Child Trends

BBF's 2025 Policy Recommendations call on Vermont to enact a Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance program for Vermonters. www.buildingbrightfutures.org/data-page/en...

www.childtrends.org/publications...

BBF Urges Action as Federal Budget Threatens Vital Supports for Vermont Families - Building Bright Futures As Vermont’s Early Childhood State Advisory Council, Building Bright Futures (BBF) is deeply alarmed by the White House’s FY2026 discretionary budget proposal, which threatens to dismantle essential s...

🚨Federal budget cuts threaten Vermont’s children and families. 🚨

www.buildingbrightfutures.org/bbf-urges-ac...

OPINION — Morgan Crossman: Head Start is at risk and there is vital need for proactive funding solutions The potential elimination of Head Start would represent a setback to decades of progress in advancing equitable access to high-quality services that support child and family well-being.

Ongoing threats to Head Start represent a setback to decades of progress in advancing equitable access to high-quality services that support child and family well-being.
vtdigger.org/2025/05/05/m...

Head Start is at risk. Read our full statement at www.buildingbrightfutures.org/head-start-statement

YouTube video by Building Bright Futures Vermont Early Childhood Grand Rounds The State of Preschool June 2024

🎉 Big news for Vermont's littlest learners! 🎉
The NIEER State of Preschool Yearbook is out. Vermont jumped from 4th to 2nd for access for 4-year-olds — and remains 2nd for 3-year-olds!
nieer.org/yearbook/2024
Watch BBF’s Early Childhood Grand Rounds with NIEER
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IV7...

Act 76 Grand Rounds - Building Bright Futures Join us for an online panel on Act 76, Vermont’s historic child care bill, and other recent investments and programs in Vermont’s early education and child care system. Attendees will gain insights in...

Join us Monday, March 24, 2025, 1:30–3 pm for a virtual panel on Act 76, Vermont’s historic child care bill, and other recent investments and programs in Vermont’s early education and child care system. Register and learn more at www.buildingbrightfutures.org/event/act-76...