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Springfield Area
Building Bright Futures
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Your source for all things early childhood
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Happy February! As you may have heard, Building Bright Futures released the annual report "How Are Vermont's Young Children and Families?". I wanted to share some interesting highlights from the report:
- Just under 10% of Vermont children under age 5 live in poverty, a significant decrease from 19% in 2009.
- The average length of stay in homeless shelters for families with children under age 18 has been steadily increasing to a record high of 39 days during state fiscal year 2016.
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The number of Vermont children who have experienced two or more Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) is higher than the US average. Almost 14% of Vermont children had two or more ACEs by age 5 and more than 26% Vermont children had two or more ACEs by age 11. The more adverse experiences children endure in early childhood, the greater the likelihood of health and development problems later in life.
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The rate of Vermont children under 3 in protective custody is rising rapidly. It increased by 62% between 2012 and 2014.
Always feel free to contact me with ideas, concerns, upcoming events, and hopes for young children with in the Springfield Region. My email is
etaetzsch@buildingbrightfutures.org
and my phone number is (802) 591-2004. Also check out our
website
and
Facebook
page for up to date information and resources.
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Springfield Area BBF in ACTION
How Are Vermont's Young Children?
BBF just release the 2016 edition of
How Are Vermont's Young Children? The report provides important data about the well-being of young children and their families to policy makers, the Legislature, and communities.
While the report highlights successes, it also points to areas where we need to do a better job prioritizing the needs of our youngest generation and ensuring that all our children have a strong start in life and a chance to succeed.
To read the full report and see specific information for Springfield Area click
HERE
Welcome Baby Program
We have started to hand out Welcome Baby Bags again!
The Welcome Baby program provides a way for parents with infants to connect to the community and other parents through gifts, information and a birthday party. The contents in the bag provide toys and tools to help keep children safe and encourage child development as well as provide a list of community resources. The birthday parties are a place for parents to meet other parents in their communities and begin to create informal supports as well as for providers to connect with parents. Please feel free to contact Celeste, celestem@vermontel.net, at the Springfield Parent Child Center if you know of any families that would like to receive a Welcome Baby Bag or would like more information.
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Are you interested in learning what is going on in other Building Bright Futures  Regions around the state? Check out this link
Promise Community - Apply Now for Cohort 3!
Applications are now being accepted for the final cohort of Promise Communities.
The Promise Community Initiative will provide supports to help communities (with at least one elementary school) to work across sectors - including health, education, human services and community planning. The support provided includes technical assistance from Promise Community team, financial support, and information. These collaborations will do 'whatever it takes' to improve the educational and developmental outcomes for children in their communities.
Applications are due by
February 28, 2017
Early Childhood Summer Institute!
Sign up now for this three credit undergraduate/graduate course designed to help early childhood teachers and their supervisors deepen their practice and contribute to obtaining or retaining licenses and endorsements.
Open to
Early Childhood Teachers (birth to grade 3) working in public and private settings and the administrators who support them.
When:
July 24-27, 2017
Online Registration opens
February 13. Applications for tuition assistance available
February 13
Modules are once a month from February to December, 2017 in 4 regions of the state at once: Bennington, Brattleboro, Lamoille, Chittenden.
Choose the modules you want to attend, and where.
HURRY the first module starts
Feb. 8 (Bennington)
Learn all about it and find the REGISTRATION on this page: http://northernlightscdc.org/your-role/match-consultants/art-of-m-a-t-c-h/
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Area Activities
Building Bright Futures Regional Council Meeting
The monthly regional council meeting will be held February 9th from 9:00 AM-10:30AM at Springfield Area Parent Child. Click here to see the agenda. The notes from the last meeting can be found here.
Bellows Falls Promise Community Meetings:
The Bellows Falls Promise Community's proposal is due March 31st. Help us with the proposal and planning for what to do with the money. The next Bellows Falls Promise Community Meeting is February 6th from 10:00-12:00 at Parks Place.
Springfield Promise Community Meeting: The next Springfield Promise Community meeting will be February 14th from 3:00-4:30 at the Springfield Area Parent Child Center. We are going to have a community update on March 2nd at 11:00. Stay tuned for more information.
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
etaetzsch@buildingbrightfutures.org
(802) 591 2004
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