The Permanent Fund commits $450,000 to Vermont Birth to Three

The Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children announced a commitment to provide $450,000 in funding for Vermont Birth to Three in 2013. Vermont Birth to Three, the newest of three statewide child-focused initiatives established by The Permanent Fund, is working to improve the quality and availability of childcare for infants and toddlers in Vermont. The program supports home-based childcare providers through training, professional development and peer-to-peer relationships. With the addition of this $450,000 of funding for 2013, The Permanent Fund has provided a total of $875,000 in funding to Vermont Birth to Three since 2011.
 
“In a rural state like ours, home-based childcare providers, who serve a large number of our infants and toddlers, can be isolated and often have little support. This funding provides opportunities for them to advance their professional skills and connect with their peers. We’re already seeing great results,” said Barbara Postman, director of Vermont Birth to Three.
 
The Step Ahead Recognition System (STARS) is an integral part of Vermont Birth to Three’s efforts. STARS is Vermont’s system for rating childcare quality. Since the start of Vermont Birth to Three, enrollment of childcare providers in the STARS program has grown rapidly and the number of 5-star providers (the highest quality rating) has increased 43% in the state.
 
The Permanent Fund, a supporting organization of the Vermont Community Foundation, collaborates with several other committed philanthropic entities that offer continuing support for Vermont Birth to Three.
 
“The brain science has shown that 90% of the core brain development occurs before a child reaches the age of three and that high quality care is essential to healthy development. Our goal in supporting Vermont Birth to Three is to improve the quality of Vermont’s childcare programs during the early growing years to ultimately lead to better outcomes over the long-term,” said Rick Davis, president and co-founder of The Permanent Fund.
 
More than 70% of Vermont’s children spend some portion of their day in childcare.
 
The Permanent Fund made its funding announcement for Vermont Birth to Three at its October 5 board meeting held in Middlebury.
 
About The Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children
Founded in 2000 by two philanthropists, The Permanent Fund’s mission is to promote happy and healthy children and families through the support of targeted community-based strategies. As a supporting organization of the Vermont Community Foundation, The Permanent Fund collaborates with other funders, non-profits, community leaders, policymakers and practitioners in three areas of focus statewide: Vermont Birth to Three; the Vermont Community Preschool Collaborative; and, the Vermont Mentoring Funders Collaborative. Using a strategic philanthropic approach backed by multi-year funding and solid metrics, The Permanent Fund works to develop timely new initiatives to improve educational outcomes, build stronger communities and make a lasting difference in the lives of Vermont’s children. For more information, visit www.permanentfund.org.