Middlebury , VT - The Vermont Community Foundation (VCF) and the advisors of its component fund, the Child Care Fund of Vermont, have announced that, following several months of strategic planning, the Child Care Fund will consolidate the work it was doing for early care and education into the efforts of Building Bright Futures with a major grant.This approach will help the state move forward the work of developing a more integrated early childhood system. In his State of the State Address, Governor Jim Douglas noted the importance of efforts to “coordinate and support an integrated system of early childhood care, health, and education that is fiscally sustainable” and recognized the VCF’s “generous investment.”

The plan seeks “to build the capacity of a new and promising infrastructure,” according to Brian Byrnes, president of the VCF. The Foundation will make a grant of $200,000 over three years to Building Bright Futures, a public-private partnership launched in June 2006. In addition, the Foundation will work with Vermont philanthropic leaders in the field to study needs that can be met with private dollars and consider an Early Childhood Grant Initiative based at the VCF.

The Child Care Fund of Vermont was started as a component fund of the VCF in 1995. The vision statement for the Child Care Fund states, “Vermont families and communities value and support the well-being of all Vermont children.” The Fund sought to: Improve the quality of child care in Vermont, build awareness of the critical importance of excellent care for children, and identify new sources of long-term funding. The Fund’s advisors have included major business leaders as well as those in the early childhood field, philanthropists, and those in the public sector.

The Vermont Community Foundation and the advisors of The Child Care Fund of Vermont, concluded that they can best champion the interests of the young children of Vermont by serving as a catalyst for new endeavors rather than trying to maintain a separate entity. “We recognize that the early childhood landscape in Vermont has changed. We are committed to acting in support of the new vision embraced through

Building Bright Futures and encouraging its sustainability at both the state and regional levels,” said Judy Geer, a Child Care Fund advisor and co-owner of Concept2. She added that CCFV will complete commitments to support the Pre-kindergarten rulemaking process into 2008.

The grant fulfills one of the VCF’s commitments to lead by “nurturing innovative practices and investing in the most promising models for lasting change,” said Byrnes. “Building Bright Futures offers the VCF a philanthropic opportunity to lead by example by investing private funds in a venture that is still in its infancy in Vermont and yet mirrors successful models throughout the country.” He added that the investment celebrates the important role that the Child Care Fund has played in the life of the VCF and recognizes the critical nature of this on-going work under a new and promising entity.

In making the announcement, Byrnes explained that the bulk of the funds will be used to continue work started by the Child Care Fund to provide private funds for STARS, a quality rating and recognition system for child care programs in the state. “Now is the time to expand community based funding for this initiative with a ‘Campaign for Quality,’ designed to elicit regional support and marketing,” said Byrnes.

Since the program was introduced by the State of Vermont’s Child Development Division three years ago, the Child Care Fund has provided recognition bonuses for programs achieving 1-3 STARS in the 5 STAR system. Along with IBM, which donates Young Explorer computers for providers achieving 3-5 STARS, the Child Care Fund has secured support

to augment State funding. STARS is a voluntary program for those seeking to go beyond licensing and recognizes that participating providers at all levels have taken important steps to assess and improve their quality.

The 19 member Building Bright Futures Council is currently co-chaired by Commissioner of the Department for Children and Families, Steve Dale and Green Mountain Power COO, Mary Powell. In addition, Executive Director Becky Gonyea and 12 Building Bright Futures Regional Directors work at the state and local levels to assess current services, identify gaps, and plan across the health, education and early care sectors in an effort to meet the needs of Vermont’s young children and families. Northeast Kingdom Learning Services is the Building Bright Futures fiscal agent.

According to Powell, who had chaired the Child Care Fund when it began in 1995, “This represents an exciting opportunity for Building Bright Futures to truly become a public/private partnership. As one who has been affiliated with both endeavors, I applaud the Child Care Fund and the Community Foundation for taking an important step in reducing the number of players in this complex system so that maximum efforts and dollars can be focused on the lives of children and families.”

In addition to the grant, the Foundation will work with other funders including individual philanthropists and the Permanent Fund for the Well-being of Vermont Children to create a companion piece to its recently released publication, “Understanding Vermont: A Resource for Philanthropists and Grantmakers.” The research publication will focus on the area of Early Childhood Needs in Vermont that can be addressed with private dollars. Following the release of the study in 2008, the VCF will host a meeting of interested philanthropists to explore possible funding opportunities.

Additional Information
Research on Early Childhood Education
Does It Pay to Invest in Preschool for All? Analyzing Return-on-Investment in Three States
Early Childhood Interventions: Proven Results, Future Promise
Report Shows Big Return on Investment in Pre-K for All

National Institute for Early Education Research
The NIEER website is a valuable resource of data supporting early childhood education initiatives by providing objective, nonpartisan information based on research. NIEER’s annual report on state preschool initiatives shows that state-funded programs increased enrollment but state spending per child is down. Visitors can browse the latest research, publications and articles, find out about events, find a long list of related links or sign up for the NIEER newsletter.

For More Information Please Contact:
Laura Marlow
lmarlow@vermontcf.org
802-388-3355