The Vermont Community Loan Fund has awarded $64,770 in the most recent round of Building Bright Futures Facilities Grants to nine child care programs throughout Vermont. Building Bright Futures Facilities Grants (BBFFG) are funded by a consortium of private foundations, legislative appropriations, donations and sales of special issue BBFFG license plates.VCLF administers the grants on behalf of the Department of Children and Families’ Child Development Division, to promote facility improvements in physical environments for children and youth in Vermont.
BBFFG was established to assist child care business owners with real estate purchases, construction and renovations, with the ultimate goal of increasing the quantity and quality of child care programs in Vermont.
Priority is given to full-day, year-round programs that retain at least 25% of their available enrollments for families on financial assistance. Grantees also must participate in the STep Ahead Recognition System (STARS), Vermont’s quality recognition system for child care, preschool, and after school programs.
“More and more, research continues to find links between high quality early child care and education with success into adulthood,” said VCLF Executive Director Will Belongia. “We’re honored to award these grants to the programs and providers committed to providing Vermont’s kids with that standard of care,” he added.
VCLF Director of Child Care Programs Hope Campbell agreed. “Building Bright Futures Facilities Grants are completely in sync with VCLF’s agenda of improving access to high quality early care and development. Now, nine more child care programs all across the state can offer even more to the many children and families they serve,” Campbell said.
The nine child care programs awarded for this round of BBFFG grants includes:
- ABC Academy, Milton
- Bristol Family Center, Bristol
- Carolyn’s Red Balloon, Colchester
- Child Care Center of Norwich, Norwich
- Kids of the Kingdom, Danville
- King Street Center, Burlington
- Ledgewood Child Care, Hinesburg
- Suzy’s Little Peanuts, Springfield
- The Children’s Early Learning Space, Waterbury
The Vermont Community Loan Fund’s mission is to create opportunities that lead to healthy communities and financial stability for all Vermonters. Since our inception we’ve lent almost $85 million to small businesses, affordable housing developers and community-based organizations that has created or preserved over 4,100 jobs; built or rehabilitated more than 3,500 affordable homes for Vermont’s families, individuals and seniors;created or preserved quality care for over 3,100 children and their families and supported community organizations providing vital services to hundreds of thousands of Vermonters.