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December 23, 2016   
 
Rutland Building Bright Futures
Your source for all things early childhood

Message from the Co-Chairs: 
Happy Holidays! And Update on BBF Rutland Regional Coordinator Position 

It is hard to believe that 2016 is drawing to a close! The Rutland BBF Regional Council has had a very strong year. Under the leadership and support of our former Regional Coordinator, Peg Bolgioni, we were able to ensure our early childhood efforts are more integrated than ever. We used our annual "Just Play? No Way!" event to inform young families of the resources in the area to support them in their important work to raise their children. We also worked closely with the Rutland County Parent Child Center to distribute Welcome Baby materials; helped support the Rutland Promise Community effort and more. 

This year, we saw Peg's departure as she is now working at the Rutland Regional Medical Center in their Communications Department. We wish Peg well in her new role.

The Rutland BBF Regional Council welcomes our new Regional Coordinator, Dana Anderson! Dana currently serves as the Regional Coordinator for Addison County. Dana was introduced at our November 15, 2016 meeting as Rutland has an opportunity to participate in a job sharing pilot with Addison County. This is part of BBF's effort to implement a long-term sustainability model for the organization. 

The Addison and Rutland region already has much in common. For example, they already share an AHS Field Director and many of our social and economic opportunities and challenges cross our mutual borders. We have much to learn and share with each other as a result.

Dana Anderson at December 20, 2016 Rutland BBF Regional Council Meeting
Photo: Debra McLaughlin

Dana attended our December 20, 2016 meeting, as well, and led us through an exciting discussion about our forthcoming ideas and priorities for the coming year. We extend Dana a warm welcome and you'll be hearing from her more in 2017.

Thank you for your ongoing support of our work. We wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season! 

Warmest Regards,

Kathy Allen, Co-Chair
Liz King, Co-Chair
Rutland BBF Regional Council 
Rutland BBF in ACTION

The Rutland BBF Regional Council has been working hard on addressing priorities identified through its recently completed Regional Action Plan.  One of those priorities has been working to address the impact of opioid use and abuse in the region. 

At our November 15th Regional Council meeting, we were privileged  to have  Jessica Clark-Keeler , Rutland Regional Medical Center;  Abby Crocker , from the University of Vermont; and  Kathleen Paterson , from Vermont Insights, share their data, research and other regional experiences about this crucial topic. 

Abby Crocker, UMV, Photo: Debra McLaughlin
Jessica Clark-Keller, RRMC Photo: Debra McLaughlin

At our December 20th Regional Council Meeting,  Clay Gilbert, from Evergreen Substance Abuse Services, spoke about his work with individuals striving for sobriety and what childcare providers could do to support families impacted by opioid use and abuse.

Clay Gilbert, Evergreen Substance Abuse Treatment Services 
Photo: Debra McLaughlin

Based on the conversations from the past two months, the Regional Council will be looking more closely at offering trainings, resource guides and increasing coordination among and between agencies to better support families struggling with opioid and other substance use and abuse in 2017.
Partner News, Meetings and Events 
  • December 28, 2016, 12 Noon - 1:30 PM. Maternal Child Health and Breastfeeding Coalition Panel Presentation at the Rutland Area Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice. Topic: Postpartum Depression. Lunch to be served.
  • January 4 and 5, 2017, Promise Community Cafe Trainings in Mount Snow (January 4) and Waterbury (January 5). Contact Shannon Hottinger at 802. 355.9458 or Heather Case for more information at 802.241.0527.
  • January 12, 2017, 12N - 1:30 PM, Project Vision, Howe Center, 1 Scale Avenue, Rutland, VT.
  • January 17, 2017, 6 PM - 8 PM. BBF Rutland Regional Council Meeting at BROC, 46 Union Street, Rutland. Sarah Squirrell, BBF's Executive Director is scheduled to attend.
STATEWIDE UPDATES


The   Building Bright Futures State Advisory Council (SAC) will be meeting on Monday, January 23, 2017 from 12 Noon - 3 PM. For more information about the work of the SAC, click here.
Blue Ribbon Commission Report Released! 

On Friday, December 9, the Blue Ribbon Commission on Financing High-Quality, Affordable Child Care released a report that: 

1. Defines the elements of a high-quality child care program
2.  Models how much it would cost per infant, toddler and preschooler to provide high-quality early care and learning
3. Estimates the total cost of high-quality care based on the number of children under 6 who have all available parents in the labor force and are therefore likely to need child care
4. Recommends how much families should be asked to contribute to child care to make it affordable for them
5. Calculates the current investment gap that would need to be filled after existing early childhood funding and parental contributions are taken into account
6. Recommends potential funding sources that could be used to fill this gap



The Alliance 2017 Legislative Agenda Available
The Alliance 2017 Legislative Agenda, crafted in partnership with early childhood organizations that are advancing policy solutions, is now available. Click here to download the document to share with your networks.

Click here to tell us which issue you care most about so we can keep you informed during the 2017 legislative session.
We look forward to working together in 2017!

For more information, contact Kelly Ault at 802-272-0795 or [email protected].
Rutland BBF  Regional Council News

The Rutland BBF Regional Council usually meets the 3rd Tuesday of every month from 6:00pm - 8:00pm ( unless otherwise noted). 

Next month's meeting will be held on  Tuesday, January 17, 2017, 6 PM to 8 PM at BROC .  Come and be a part of our efforts to support young children and families in our region!

BBF is always looking for content regarding local activities to build our newsletter. Please forward any information to [email protected].
Visit our website at www.buildingbrightfutures.org .

"LIKE" our Facebook page here.  

Click here to see the Playgroup Flyer from  the Rutland County Parent Child Center.
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About Rutland BBF
Building Bright Futures (BBF) serves a dual role as both the Vermont Early Childhood Advisory Council and 501(c)(3) statewide network, aligning local solutions of 12 Regional Councils with policy at the state level in order to make improvements in access, quality, and affordability of early care, health, and education for families and young children birth to eight-years-old.  Rutland Building Bright Futures is one of the 12 Regional Councils in the BBF statewide network.

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