Building Bright Futures State Advisory Council Inc

Target demographics: Children and Families

Geographic areas served: All Counties and Communities in the State of Vermont

Programs: The SAC supports 12 regional early childhood councils that work locally to identify gaps, share best practices, strategize, and support response to community issues through their regional action plans. Councils advise the SAC on local issues and bright spots to strengthen both local and statewide systems. Recent highlights of regional council activities include: the creation of a drop-in child care center for parents seeking opiate treatment in southeast Vermont; an effort to support 14 regional agencies in improving language access practices to families with limited english in Chittenden County; the establishment a diaper bank, "time for a change" in Springfield, distributing over 10,500 diapers; a region- wide prek - k transition summit in Addison County; and a convening of all home visiting providers in Central Vermont to better coordinate services. The SAC promotes the use of data to guide our strategy and decision making at both the state and regional level. Key data initiatives include: 1) Vermont Insights: an online, "one-stop shop", interactive platform for data seekers to easily access cross-sector data sets like kindergarten readiness, tiered quality rating improvement system (TQRIS) participation, custody rates, health indicators, child poverty rates and more; 2) How are Vermont's Young Children and Families report: an annual publication that provides a data-based assessment on the well-being of young children and families across Vermont. In January 2018, the SAC released its 2017 edition of the report in time to coincide with the beginning of the legislative session. The press release for the report was attended by over 80 early childhood stakeholders and speakers including the Governor and Senate Majority Leader. The report also received media coverage from multiple statewide media outlets. Building Bright Futures State Advisory Council (SAC) is the governor- appointed council created to advise the governor and legislature on early care, health, and education. It brings together early childhood leaders and decision makers from across sectors. The SAC sets annual priorities based on Vermont's early childhood action plan and gathers regional input to make its annual recommendations. In 2017, the council issued recommendations in its substance use and opiate task force report. This report outlines the impact of substance use disorder on children and families in Vermont and recommends a multi-generational approach to services for children and families. It has been well received by the state administration and regional partners who are using it to assess practice.