Vermont Integration Project: Building Integration in Vermont’s B-5 Early Childhood Systems (VIP B-5)
Vermont is working to build more connected, more effective ways to serve young children and their families. Vermont was awarded a series of Preschool Development Grant awards from the Federal Agency for Children, Youth, and Families. More about the current 2026 grant with a focus on systems change can be found at the DCF Child Development Division.
The Vermont Integration Project (VIP B-5) was a project that ran from January 2023–December 2025. The project was called Vermont Integration Project: Building Integration in Vermont’s B-5 Early Childhood Systems (VIP B-5) and included six Vermont agencies working on 19 activities that improved the early childhood system.
4. Coordinated Intake & Referral (Help Me Grow)
5. Build Strong Family-Child Relationships
6. Identify Barriers to Recruiting Early Childhood Workforce
7. Expand Access to High-Quality Professional Development
8. Implement Early Multi-Tiered System of Supports (Early MTSS)
9. Early Childhood Care & Education Health Consultation
10. Improve Professional Development Using Vermont Early Learning Standards
11. Provisional License Mentoring
12. Continuous Quality Improvement in Universal Pre-K
13. Continuous Quality Improvement in Child Care
14. Early Childhood Data Monitoring & Integration
15. Vermont Early Childhood Fund
16. Support for Children With Disabilities & Specialized Needs
17. Infant, Early Childhood, & Family Mental Health
VIP B-5 Partners
- Building Bright Futures (BBF)
- The Child Development Division (CDD)
- The Department of Health (VDH)
- The Department of Mental Health (DMH)
- The Agency of Education (AOE)
- The Agency of Administration (AOA)
VIP B-5 Resources & Publications
Impacts of the VIP B-5 Grant
- Identifying Needs: We documented the biggest needs of children and families by listening to and learning from the experiences of families. We also reviewed existing reports from early childhood partners over the past five years (view the Needs Assessment Directory). We identified common needs across all of these sources. This information will help us plan for the future.
- Connecting with Families: We helped families find resources and leadership opportunities (view the Family Leadership Dashboard). We also trained childcare providers on how to build strong relationships with parents.
- Growing the Workforce: We offered free training, professional development, and college courses to help more people work in early childhood care and education.
- Creating Childcare Spots: We awarded Vermont Early Childhood Fund grants to local organizations to create 575 new childcare spots.
- Increasing Access to Mental Health: We trained more early child educators in mental health support strategies for children and their families.
- Focusing on Equity: We worked to make sure all programs consider the needs of every child and family, regardless of background.
- Using Data: We worked on connecting data across the different parts of the early childhood system. This creates a fuller picture of the early childhood system and allows us to make better decisions. We also tracked progress on the grant activities to see what’s working and what’s not.
- Updating the Plan: We collaboratively developed a new strategic plan (formerly known as VECAP) for Vermont’s early childhood system for 2026 to 2030. We hosted surveys and Community Conversations to hear from people in the community about what should be in it.
- Improving Programs: We worked on ways to better monitor and improve the quality of child care and early education programs.
- Learning from Each Other: The different organizations involved in the grant worked together to share information and improve communication. This should make things clearer for child care and early education providers and ultimately benefit the children and families they serve.
