I have been involved with an effort out of the Agency of Education to improve how we engage and support all children and their families, inclusive of ability, race, language, and family situation.
It is time for you to review this guidance as others who work with, advocate for, and care about young children and their families.
Learn more about the Guiding Principles For the Full Participation of Each and Every Child and provide input here by May 15th. Provide input on the words or phrases that you like and feel great about and share with the committee how to make the Guiding Principles stronger and clearer.
Briefly, the Guiding Principles for the Full Participation of Each and Every Child are a set of explicit and intentional values and practices that can be used to support the successful, inclusive learning and development of children, birth through grade 3. This includes children with diverse cultures, languages, abilities, races, ethnicities, faiths, geographic settings, resources, and circumstances, and their families.
The Guiding Principles are reflective of, and responsive to, Vermont legislation, policies, and guidance. For example, they incorporate key concepts from Vermont's Early Childhood Framework and Early Childhood Action plan related to promoting high-quality opportunities for all children. They were developed to provide clear, explicit, and intentional language to capture Vermont's commitment to achieving each child's promise and potential.
Everyone's participation in the statewide validation of Vermont's Guiding Principles will contribute tremendously to the authenticity and usefulness of the final product. Unlike other states in which guidance comes from above and is pushed down and out, this resource will be shaped by real people who work with, or on behalf of young children, as well as the families of those children.
