Springfield Area
Building Bright Futures
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Your source for all things early childhood
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| BBF was part of the Family Resource Fair in Bellows Falls
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Happy Fall! I hope you all have settled into the routine that comes with the school year and have been able to take advantage of all the apples and pumpkins that are popping up everywhere!
As fall has begun we have been gearing up to focus on our action plan, strengthening relationships with community partners such as libraries and respond to needs as they come up from the community.
I just want to reiterate that you should always feel free to contact me with ideas, concerns, upcoming events, and hopes for young children with in the Springfield Region. My email is [email protected] and my phone number is (603) 686-2648. Also check out our website and Facebook page for up to date information and resources.
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Springfield Area BBF in ACTION
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A demonstration of the Windham County Parent Resource Calendar
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Family Resource Fair and the Windham County Parent Resource Calendar
This month a group of community partners including Building Bright Futures, Rockingham Free Public Library, Windham Northeast Supervisory Union, Windham Southeast Supervisory Union organized a fair during the teacher in service day to provide an opportunity for families to go to the Rockingham Free Public Library to see what resources are available to families. Some of the organizations that came were the Health Department, Springfield Area Parent Child Center, Greater Falls Connections, Parks Place, Lets Grow Kids, Promise Communities and Main Street Arts. Overall, it was a success with families learning about different organizations in the community as well as many activities for children to do!
The forum also allowed us to show off the new Windham County Parent Resource Calendar. The Windham County Parent Resource Calendar is a single online source where you can find information about events, programs, services, and more for Windham county families. Best of all, it's a totally free resource
| Children visiting the BBF table at the Family Resource Fair |
for families and all of the organizations involved.
Tips for calendar use:� Use CATEGORY to select just the listings you want to see.� Sign up to receive updates by Twitter or email � Look for the Calendar on websites around Windham County For more information about the calendar, including how your organization's programs can be included, contact Sam at the Rockingham Free Public Library at 802.463.4270 or email [email protected]
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Vermont 2-1-1 Launches Help Me Grow Vermont Call Line Today.
A new statewide phone line to support families with young children was announced today by the United
Ways of Vermont. Parents and caregivers can now dial 2-1-1 to be connected with trained
Help Me Grow child development specialists who can answer questions about children's behavior and development and connect families to resources and services in their community.
The child development specialists will be available from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday - Friday. Callers can leave messages after hours, as Vermont 2-1-1 is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help Me Grow Vermont 2-1-1 services are confidential.
Vermonters agree that every child deserves a strong start to life. Science tells us that 80% of the brain develops by age 3 and 90% by age 5, making the first years critical to healthy early development that lays the foundation for future success in school, relationships and life. Yet, many Vermont families cannot find or afford high quality child care, and many providers struggle with the costs of offering quality programming-let alone keeping their doors open.
Vermont's child care challenge has a ripple effect through our communities and economy. How do we achieve high quality, affordable child care to support: ► the healthy development of our children? ► working families who rely on child care in order to keep their jobs and put food on the table? ► Vermont businesses, who need skilled, productive and reliable employees now and in the future?
Check out this website to learn more and RSVP.
NOTICE: The Ambassador call has been rescheduled due to Thanksgiving for November 18th at 1 pm.
Changes to Kindergarten Readiness Survey
The new KRS will be launched on October 15, 2015.
The new and improved KRS was a combined effort with the Agency of Human Services, Building Bright Futures, and the Agency of Education.
Kindergarten teachers will have an opportunity to attend a regional training to learn more about the new indicators, ratings and how to complete the on-line survey for each kindergartner enrolled. More information on how to register for regional trainings will be forthcoming. The start and end dates for completion of the KRS will be from October 15-November 13, 2015 For more information, contact Dan Shepard, Business Analyst, [email protected], or Melissa Riegel-Garrett, Early Education Coordinator, [email protected]
Early Learning Challenge Grant Update
The newsletter for the Early Learning Challenge Grant is up for September. This highlights what is going on in improving quality and access, investing in people, empowering communities, and ensuring we are making a difference. You can see the newsletter in its entirety here.
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Springfield Warming Shelter
The Springfield warming shelter, located at the North Springfield Baptist Church (NSBC), provides a warm, safe place for people to sleep during the winter months. We are in need of volunteers to staff the overnight shifts. This is an opportunity for you to help others at no financial cost. All you need to do is spend 6 hours once or twice a month (it's completely up to you how often you volunteer) watching over our guests along with another volunteer. There is nothing difficult about the responsibility. We will train you on what to do. Please consider this opportunity to help others in need and attend one of the training sessions listed below:
Training Sessions -all are held at the NSBC Shelter: Tue Oct 6 at 6pm Thurs Oct 15 at 6pm Sun Oct 25 at 4pm
Additional information can be obtained by contacting Paul Cioffi at 802-245-4640 or [email protected] or see the flyer _____________________________________________________________________________
Job Opportunities
New Employment Opportunity at EES!
Early Education Services is part of the Brattleboro School District, offering Early Head Start (birth-3) and Head Start (3-5) services to young children and families. We are looking for the right person to join our teaching team in Westminster VT.
Current position/requirements:
All candidates must be able to communicate effectively and work collaboratively on a multi-disciplinary team. Experience with young children required. We offer a competitive salary, health and dental insurance, paid vacations and holidays, and ongoing professional development.
Send resume, letter of interest, college transcripts, and 3 current references to:
Child Development Manager Early Education Services 130 Birge Street Brattleboro, VT 05301 |
Area Activities
Building Bright Futures Regional Council Meeting
The monthly regional council meeting will be held October 8th from 9:00 AM-10:30AM at Springfield Area Parent Child Center. This month we will learn more about the Springfield Area Parent Child Center, what programs they offer, what programs they support and what their vision is. We will also discuss the progress that small groups have had in discussing what interventions BBF should implement to improve the well being of children in our communities. The proposed agenda can be found here. The minutes from the last meeting can be found here .
Promise Community Meeting in Bellows Falls
On October 28th at 4:00 there will be a community meeting at the Windham Northeast Supervisory Union building (25 Cherry St., Bellows Falls) to further discuss the Promise Community process and get input from the community. If you live in Bellows Falls or work in anyway with Bellows Falls consider attending the meeting. Childcare and snacks will be provided.
Building Bright Futures First Annual Conference.
Vermont Collective Impact Conference: Moving Beyond Collaboration to Transform Our Communities
October 20, 2015 * 8:30am-4:00pm at the Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, Vermont
United Way of Chittenden County, the University of Vermont Medical Center, the Vermont Community Foundation and Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission invite you to attend the Vermont Collective Impact Conference. At this statewide, one-day conference, we will convene community partners, business leaders, nonprofits, policy makers, government at all levels, funders, advocates and other stakeholders to explore how we can build our communities through Collective Impact.
The Vermont Collective Impact Conference will feature presentations and discussions led by Greg Hills, Managing Director at FSG. FSG is a national leader in the Collective Impact movement. The Conference will connect you with fellow Vermonters who are committed to improving our communities by working together. You'll leave with a better understanding of essential concepts and factors of success, and tools you can use to assess the readiness of your community to engage in a Collective Impact approach. Agenda, program details and registration are available VermontCollectiveImpact.org. Look at the flyer.
Make sure to check out this flyer with a list of weekly playgroups and story hours throughout the region.
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The Springfield Area BBF newsletter hopes to provide the latest news, research and local activities, as well as to connect and inspire those in the state's early childhood system.
I invite you to send me your ideas, concerns and hopes for our children. I want to hear and learn from you!
Ellen Taetzsch
Springfield Area Building Bright Futures
(603) 686 2648
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