8.4 Public-Private Partnerships

Lead Agencies must demonstrate how they encourage partnerships among other public agencies, Tribal organizations, private entities, faith-based organizations, businesses, or organizations that promote business involvement, and/or community-based organizations to leverage existing service delivery (i.e., cooperative agreement among providers to pool resources to pay for shared fixed costs and operation) to leverage existing child care and early education service delivery systems and to increase the supply and quality of child care services for children younger than age 13. 8.4.1 Lead Agency public-private partnerships Identify and describe any public-private partnerships encouraged by the Lead Agency to leverage public and private resources to further the goals of CCDF: The public-private partnerships highlighted below are important in leveraging and advancing an integrated early care and learning and afterschool system in Vermont in order to achieve Vermont’s early childhood vision to realize the promise of every Vermont child. BBF's SAC is the entity responsible for coordination of early childhood in Vermont and we partner with the SAC and its committees on the state level and with the BBF Regional Councils on a regional level. The main goal in this public-private partnership is advancing the goals and corresponding results of Vermont’s Early Childhood Action Plan. This work is accomplished primarily through the BBF Committee infrastructure where local, regional, and state level stakeholders come together through monthly meetings to develop and implement priority strategies outlined in work plans The VECAP, Vermont’s early childhood strategic plan, is a bold, collaborative approach to building a comprehensive and integrated early childhood system that promotes healthy child development and family stability. The VECAP outlines a cohesive vision by the year 2026 and establishes shared accountability to achieve statewide priorities for children and families from the prenatal period through age eight. Originally established in 2013 along with the Vermont Early Childhood Framework, the updated VECAP is a structure around which to build coordinated action across public and private stakeholders throughout Vermont. It centers around making measurable changes in early childhood outcomes through identification of common goals, strategies to reach those goals, and the use of common language to align initiatives. 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. All early childhood partners, including state agencies, community partners, and families are held responsible for working toward this vision by creating positive change in the early childhood system. Together, we implement this plan and hold each other accountable to the goals, objectives, strategies, and outcomes identified within this plan. The charge of the Child Outcomes Accountability Team is to improve integration and coordination of early childhood public and private partners committed to the health and well-being of children and their families. The group informs strategies and monitors progress toward Goal 1 of VECAP: All children have a healthy start. Goal 1’s focus is to ensure that children are healthy, thriving and developmentally on track from the prenatal period to third grade by promoting and monitoring outcomes in the following domains: physical health, development and educational outcomes, mental health outcomes, and basic needs outcomes. Goal 1 also promotes the importance of prevention and early identification across the same domains. The BBF Families and Communities Committee works to develop a statewide approach that enriches and expands family partnership and leadership at the provider, agency, and community levels. The committee is entirely virtual and open for parents and providers to join anytime. The Committee strives to be made up of majority parents and caregivers, with providers in partnership, to help create an early childhood system that mirrors the diverse needs of Vermont families. By providing parents and caregivers opportunities to bring forward thoughts and concerns, and partner in systems conversations and decision-making processes, families become leaders in designing a responsive system that works for them. The group informs strategies and monitors progress toward Goal 2 of VECAP: Families and communities play a leading role in children’s wellbeing. Goal 2’s focus is to advance policies, and practices that honor and are supportive of each family’s culture, strengths, structure, expertise, and preferences. Building a system that listens to the needs of families and creates space at the table to make decisions together, are core to success. To achieve this goal, Vermont will work to create safe and stable home environments, economic stability, family friendly workplace policies, parent and family leadership, and communities with social and physical infrastructure to nurture resilient children and families. The Early Learning and Development committee works to strengthen the access and quality of early childhood services throughout the early childhood system through a focus on alignment and best practices. The group informs strategies and monitors progress toward Goal 3 of VECAP: All children and families have access to high-quality opportunities that meet their needs. The aspects of Goal 3 that this committee focuses on are giving children the strongest start possible by building an equitable and integrated early childhood system in the same 4 primary domains for children to thrive: physical health, social and emotional wellness, developmental and educational results, and adequate basic needs to improve family outcomes. The Committee prioritizes and identifies inequities impacting vulnerable children and builds strategies to counter systemic racism and discrimination to create more equitable access to healthcare, mental health services, childcare, early identification, and intervention, and learning outcomes. The Professional Preparation and Development committee seeks to develop, coordinate, and promote a comprehensive system of quality learning opportunities for current and prospective early childhood and after school professionals. The committee builds on assets and prioritizes needs for professional opportunities with a focus on educators, though expanding to include needs of CIS professionals and others working with children and families. The PPD facilitates communication about professional development to consumers, practitioners, and the general public. The group informs strategies and monitors progress toward Goal 3 of VECAP: All children and families have access to high-quality opportunities that meet their needs. The aspects of Goal 3 that this committee focuses on are delivering quality services depends on a skilled and stable early childhood workforce. The Data and Evaluation Committee guides the collection, analysis, and application of high-quality data within the early childhood system. The group is composed of data stewards and evaluation experts working together to ensure data informs policy and practice. The group wants to help partners understand what high-quality data is, where it exists and is accessible to early childhood stakeholders. The group informs strategies and monitors progress toward Goal 4 of VECAP: The early childhood system will be integrated, well- resourced, and data informed. The aspect of Goal 4 that this committee focuses on is to collect and report high quality data to understand how services, supports and resources are reaching the kids and families they intend to, and to measure the extent strategies and investments are making the desired impact. The Early Childhood Investment also works toward goal 4 of the VECAP. This committee seeks to increase the investment in Vermont’s children and families. This is the newest VECAP committee convened in 2019 and includes advocacy partners, public policy leaders and early childhood systems leaders to make long lasting and innovative changes to benefit Vermont’s children and families. The committee incorporates the recommendations of Building VT’s Future Think Tank into their strategies and engagement of new partners diversified funding sources. The Early Childhood Interagency Coordinating Team seeks to identify and eliminate barriers to collaboration, collaborate on efforts related to the VECAP or any other issues that local/regional partners may bring to the Team’s attention. The ECICT’s efforts result in a more cohesive voice of state government in Vermont’s early childhood system by convening representatives of the state agencies represented on the BBF State Council (AHS, AOE, CDD, Vermont Department of Health, and Agency of Commerce and Community Development). The ECICT works as a lateral partner of the BBF State Council to inform the Council on state policy matters and to receive feedback and input on state policy matters from the Council.