http://buildingbrightfutures.org/central/about/
October 2, 2015
Happy October!
This is my favorite time of year - watching the leaves change and feeling the first chill of the fall. I feel quite lucky to be stepping into the fall working on such important projects and working with such amazing team members. Thank you to everyone connected to our work - we couldn't do this without you. 

This month, we have several exciting announcements. Yesterday was the official launch of Help Me Grow, a new statewide phone line to support families with young children. 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. This is a very exciting partnership among many agencies and providers, most significantly between Vermont 2-1-1, the Vermont Department of Health and Building Bright Futures.

There's also exciting news from our friends at the Vermont Commission on Women. VCW was awarded at $173,794 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to conduct a study into the feasibility of a statewide paid family and medical leave program. This is an essential first step toward moving this work forward for the whole state, which could have a monumental impact on families in our region. 

There's still time to apply for a CVBBF Mini Grant. We're accepting applications until 9:00 am on Monday 10/5. You can access the information form HERE and the online application HERE.

As always, please don't hesitate to get in touch if you have any thoughts or suggestions or you'd like to get involved. 

Becky Raymond, Regional Coordinator
Central Vermont Building Bright Futures Council
Council Meeting Agenda
The CVBBF Regional Council meeting will be held on Friday October 9 from 9:00-11:00 AM. This month, the agenda includes the following:
  • Janet Kilburn (VDH), Elizabeth Gilman (Help Me Grow), and Beth Diamond (Vermont 2-1-1) will present about the Help Me Grow system 
  • Shane Oakes and Lorna Corbett will give a presentation about MECSH (Maternal Early Childhood Sustained Home-visiting) and will share information about roll out in central Vermont
  • Becky will facilitate some activities for our Regional Planning process
  • We will set aside time for council member networking, including updates from Let's Grow Kids and Promise Communities
CVBBF Council meetings are open to the public and are held on the second Friday of the month, September through June, at Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice. Map
Work for BBF!
There are currently two openings for Regional Coordinators, one in Franklin / Grand Isle and one in Orleans / Northern Essex. See below for links to both of the job postings. Both postings close soon, so be sure to check them out if you're interested!


Blue Ribbon Commission
Vermont's Blue Ribbon Commission on Financing High Quality, Affordable Child Care met on for a second time on October 1st to map out the broad questions that will be the focus of their early meetings. 

The Commission set a standing meeting time of the 3rd Thursday of every month from 10:00-12:30 beginning in November. For the latest news on the Blue Ribbon Commission, check the Let's Grow Kids Commission webpage.
Schedule an Advocacy Skills Training
Are you looking to hone advocacy skills or become informed on early childhood issues? The Alliance has scheduled more than 20 training sessions around the state this fall to support early childhood advocates in their goals to influence policy changes at the local or state level. Contact Kelly or Matt to schedule a training for a group of five people or more. Each training can be tailored to cover any of the following topics:
  • Understanding the Vermont Legislature, legislators and regulators;
  • Becoming effective advocates with policymakers in the State House and in the community; and
  • Discussing early childhood issues likely to be considered during the 2016 legislative session
For a calendar of trainings that are open to the public, check out the "events" tab at www.vermontearlychildhoodalliance.org. To schedule a training, contact Kelly Ault, Alliance Public Engagement Director at (802) 272-0795 or [email protected]
Providers Corner

Scott Noyes will be presenting both trainings on Saturday October 10th from 9-4 at the Montpelier Elks. These events are in part a response to the community need for emergency planning and more training in having difficult conversations that we are experiencing in the wake of the recent tragedies in Barre. This promises to be a truly excellent set of trainings and is sponsored by the Family Center of Washington County, Starting Points, Vicki Langevin, and the National Life Group Foundation. The flyer with complete information is below.

Vermont faces a significant shortage of affordable, high-quality child care options. Small Talk is a new initiative by Let's Grow Kids to collect the personal stories of Vermonters whose lives have been impacted by the state's early childhood system. 

The Small Talk van will be at the Family Center of Washington County on Tuesday, 10/13/15 from 10-4. If you or someone you know is interested in sharing your story, email Shane to sign up!

Upcoming Events at the Children's Room
There are many exciting events coming up this month at the Children's Room in Waterbury. The Children's Room is located in Thatcher Brook Primary School and offers a free and developmentally appropriate space to go with your child and engage in activities with other families with young children. The Children's Room is open any day that school is in session for TBPS. Learn more by contacting Anne

10/5 10-11:30 Gymnastics at Central VT Gymnastics in Moretown ($)
10/25 3-5 pm Children's Room Annual Halloween Party
10/26 10:30 am Swimming at Golden Eagle Pool ($)
10/27 10 am Costume Party and Story Time
CVBBF Playgroup Schedule
We're thrilled to release the 2015-2016 playgroup schedule for central Vermont! Where possible, we've included the start dates for the playgroups -- many of them are already underway! If you have run a playgroup at your organization and you'd like to be listed on our schedule, please email Becky. You can also download a copy of the schedule HERE
Please feel free to contact me with your ideas, concerns and hopes for our children. I want to hear and learn from you! 

Becky Raymond, Regional Coordinator
Central Vermont Building Bright Futures
(802) 778-0875
In This Issue
Barre Promise Community
The next meeting of the Barre Promise Community will be on Wednesday, 10/21/15 from 10:30-12:30. Email Shannon for more information or to attend.

The team is currently looking at the needs of the community in order to gain a better understanding of what we can do to improve the lives of young children and families in Barre. We are seeking more Barre families to join us in the planning stages so please reach out if you are interested or if you know someone who might like to learn more!
Statewide News
There's a new update available from the Early Learning Challenge grant! Check out the latest HERE
BBF State Council
The next BBF State Council meeting will be held on Monday, November 23rd in Williston. For more information or to attend the meeting, contact Katie Mobbs
The team at Vermont Insights recently published several new reports. Click the links below to check them out!








These and many others are available on the Vermont Insights website
Building Bright Futures recently released a new policy brief titled, "The Prevalence and Adverse Effects of Child Neglect." This report reveals that national rates of child neglect are more common even than child abuse and shines a light on Vermont's shortcomings documenting this type of maltreatment. 
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