We are supporting Advocacy that improves the lives of Vermont's young children, families, and providers

The Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance is a statewide coalition of early childhood professionals and providers, parents, and employers working together to improve public policies that impact young children from birth to age eight on issues of health, safety, food security, economic security, and early care and education.

Stay Tuned for our 2025 Legislative Agenda

Applications have closed applications for our 2025 Legislative Agenda. Stay tuned for its release in January of 2025. 

The Alliance’s annual Legislative Agenda is crafted in partnership with early childhood organizations that are advancing policy solutions through the legislative process.

The Alliance’s Steering Committee invites proposals by organizations for consideration during the Agenda-setting process. Issues that are selected will make up the 2025 Legislative Agenda. The proposing organization will be established as the “lead organization” on legislative and advocacy strategy.

Visit the Legislative Agenda Setting Process page for more information. 

2024 Legislative Agenda Results

The 2024 legislative session saw a return to the State House’s pace and politics of the pre-pandemic era, with budget pressures and competing House-Senate positions dictating many outcomes. The results for the state’s early childhood community were mixed. While two issues on the Alliance’s 2024 Legislative Agenda had solid success, several had only partial victories and others had disappointing results. A number of issues did make important progress in developing their organizational strength, setting them up for more success in the future.

Without question, issues of pressing concern to Vermont’s young children and their families – housing, economic security, high quality education, health care, etc. – continue to be prominent in policy discussions in the State House.

Looking ahead, Alliance members will be hard at work over the summer and fall building support for ongoing campaigns, tracking implementation of programs that have passed, and preparing a full slate of issues for advocacy in ’25.

Alliance Equity Discussion

The Alliance hosts a monthly, salon-style Equity Discussion Group via Zoom. Join a group of peers and colleagues from the early childhood community to engage in sustained learning about anti-racism, equity, and inclusion. 

Our next session is coming up on Friday, November 1, at 1:00 pm. 

The discussion will be led by Song Nguyen, Director of Health Equity and Sara Chesbrough, Health Equity Lead at the Family and Child Health Division of the VT Department of Health. Our discussion will highlight initiatives to enhance health equity practices within the Health Department, throughout partnering organizations, and within the Division to enhance the delivery of public health services with a health equity perspective.

Register on Zoom to receive the meeting link.

Please reach out to Matt Levin, Alliance Executive Director, at matt@vecaa.org if you have suggestions for future topics.

2024 Alliance Annual Membership Meeting

The Alliance’s tenth Annual Membership Meeting was on May 28 at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich. The event focused on networking and information sharing, and brought together over 30 members of the Vermont early childhood community.

The Day featured workshops, including an introduction to the Alliance and an overview of what happened in the State House on the legislative issues on the Alliance’s 2024 Legislative Agenda, and a panel discussion about multi-year advocacy campaigns that included Sarah Kenney from Let’s Grow Kids, Charlie Gliserman from AARP Vermont, Anika Heilweil from the Fund Vermont’s Future Campaign, and Teddy Waszazak from Hunger Free Vermont.

For a full recap of the Day, visit the Annual Meeting website.

2025 Early Childhood Day at the Legislature

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Stay tuned for information about next year’s event on Wednesday, March 12, 2025!

Thank you to all of the attendees and Legislators who joined us in Montpelier for the 30th Annual Early Childhood Day at the Legislature (ECDL)! 

The Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance hosts ECDL to bring together, early childhood professionals, parents, employers, and policymakers in person to:

  • Meet with legislators about early childhood issues
  • Attend workshops on current topics
  • Take action at the State House
  • Network and exchange information

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“It’s incredibly valuable to have this vast network of statewide advocates that can rally people to share their stories or reach out to their Legislator. We were successful in getting the Family and Medical Leave bill and it was in large part because of the work of the Alliance.” 

– MAIN STREET ALLIANCE