7.1 Quality Activities Needs Assessment

7.1.1 Needs assessment process and findings a. Describe the Lead Agency needs assessment process for expending CCDF funds on activities to improve the quality of child care, including the frequency of assessment, how a range of parents and providers were consulted, and how their views are incorporated: The State conducts a needs assessment process and updates the strategic plan every 5 years; the current plan concludes in 2025 and a new plan will run 2026-2030. Parents and providers are critical to this process both in providing input through the Family Needs Assessment, participation in the Families and Communities Committee, on the VECAP Update Advisory Committee, and on the State Advisory Council. Between July 2024- December 2025, Vermont is updating the strategic plan. This includes a meta-analysis of needs assessments, community engagement process targeting populations furthest from justice, drafting and review by an advisory committee (including parent and providers), and ultimately endorsement of a new plan by December 2025. CDD invests in quality activities based on VECAP, which is a collaborative approach to building a comprehensive and integrated early childhood system that promotes healthy child development and family stability. VECAP outlines a cohesive vision and establishes shared accountability to achieve statewide priorities for children and families from the prenatal period through age eight (8). It is built on Vermont’s Guiding Principles, which articulate Vermont’s commitment to fully include each and every child and their family in a continuum of meaningful experiences to ensure their health, mental health, safety, happiness, and success now and into the future. VECAP is designed to evolve based on new evidence, best practices, lessons learned, and improved analytics by identifying and measuring child, family, and system indicators. The results of this prioritization then becomes part of the plan implemented through BBF committees for the following year. CDD engages in BBF Committees responsible for action plan implementation related to CCDF priorities and aligns Vermont’s quality spending with the implementation plans of these committees. In 2022, BBF published the 2022 Vermont Early Childhood Family Needs Assessment to better understand the barriers families face when accessing services and supports to inform policy and programs in Vermont’s early childhood systems. This report analyzes how well these services work for families, their challenges, and what Vermont is doing well for young families. The Early Childhood Family Needs Assessment was led by the Families and Communities Committee and supported by the BBF's State Advisory Council Network and the Vermont Integration Prenatal to 3 ("VIP-3") grant. BBF is in the planning phase of the next VECAP plan and is convening focus groups, examining policy and other data in order to develop the next iteration of VECAP. This is work that is additionally supported by Vermont’s PDGB-5 grant. b. Describe the findings of the assessment, including any findings related to needs of different populations and types of providers, and if any overarching goals for quality improvement were identified: VECAP lays out four goals that outline a cohesive vision and establish shared accountability to achieve statewide priorities for children and families: 1) All children have a healthy start; 2) Families and communities play a leading role in children’s well-being; 3) All children and families have access to high-quality opportunities that meet their needs; and 4) The early childhood system will be integrated, well- resourced, and data-informed. BBF releases an annual report: "The State of Vermont’s Children". This document reflects on the long term VECAP goals and measures the annual data against the metrics as established by the VECAP. This report is reviewed yearly by CDD staff to align our quality improvement efforts