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.
2025 Legislative Agenda
The Alliance’s Legislative Agenda is crafted annually in partnership with early childhood organizations that are advancing policy solutions through the legislative process related to health, safety, food security, economic security, and early care and education.
The issues were selected by the Alliance’s 21-member Steering Committee. One or more lead organizations will direct legislative and advocacy strategy on each issue.
A downloadable PDF of this year’s Legislative Agenda is available on the Alliance’s website, as well as details about each issue.
Alliance Equity Discussion
Join a group of peers and colleagues from the early childhood community to engage in sustained learning about anti-racism, equity, and inclusion. The Alliance hosts a monthly, salon-style Equity Discussion Group via Zoom. Our next session will be held on Friday, February 21, at 1:00 pm.
The discussion will be led by Alliance Executive Director Matt Levin, who will be joined by members of the Montpelier contra dancing community. Our focus will be on gender roles, identities, and labels, looking at these through the lens of the Montpelier Contra Dance. In recent years this dance has followed a developing trend of using non-gendered “calling” in its dances, creating a unique space for expression, exploration, understanding, and conversation about the roles our society has put into place.
What does it mean to “lead” and “follow” in a couple’s dance? Are you a “Fred” or a “Ginger”, or is the question irrelevant? What if Ginger had been able to lead? What if neither were leading?
Registration Open - 2025 Early Childhood Day at the Legislature
Registration is now open for Early Childhood Day at the Legislature (ECDL) on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier!
Join the Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance, early childhood professionals, parents, employers, and policymakers in person to meet with legislators about early childhood issues, attend workshops on current topics, and network and exchange information.
The issues on our 2025 Legislative Agenda will play central roles at this year’s ECDL.
We encourage you to register early! To register a group larger than five, please contact Taylor Hughey, Alliance Outreach Manager, at taylor@vecaa.org.
Scholarships and professional development are available. Contact taylor@vecaa.org with any questions.
Alliance Issue Spotlight
The Alliance’s series of virtual Issue Spotlights focusing on issues from the Alliance’s 2025 Legislative Agenda continues next week. In discussions led by representatives from the issue’s lead organizations, participants will be able to ask direct questions and hear a brief legislative update.
Our next session will be held Monday, February 10, from 3:30 to 4:30 pm, and will focus on funding for Vermont 211 and the Fair Share for Vermont Campaign.
Led by representatives from United Ways of VT and Fund Vermont’s Future, this session is a great opportunity to learn more about each of these issues, get an update on how they are progressing in the legislature, and how to get involved.
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.
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