The 18th annual event is co-hosted by Kids Are Priority One Coalition and Building Bright Futures Council. We are grateful to the generous support of The Permanent Fund for the Well-Being of Vermont Children, the Turrell Fund, and the A.D. Henderson Foundation.
Join early care, health and education professionals, parents and employers to:
- Meet with legislators about Innovative State and Community Approaches for Meeting the Needs of Infants and Toddlers, through Service Delivery, Financing and Policy
- Share family, professional and workplace stories
- Be inspired by a keynote address from the Hon. Barbara O'Brien, PhD, currently a Senior Fellow at The Piton Foundation and the Policy Director of the Campaign for Grade Level Reading, and previously Colorado's Lieutenant Governor and president of the Colorado Children's Campaign (learn more about Barbara).
- Take action at the State House
Agenda (subject to change)
At the Capitol Plaza Hotel
| 8:15 – 9:00 | Registration check in & continental breakfast |
| 9:00 – 9:25 | Opening remarks and legislative overview -Kids Are Priority One Coalition |
| 9:25 – 10:25 | Keynote address -Barbara O’Brien, Senior Fellow for The Piton Foundation & Policy Director of the Campaign for Grade Level Reading |
| 10:25 – 10:35 | Break |
| 10:35 – 11:45 | Work Sessions on Service Delivery, Financing and Policy |
| 11:45 – 12:00 | Break |
| 12:00 - 1:00 | Lunch with legislators |
| 12:40 – 12:45 | Community service award Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children |
At the Vermont State House
| 1:00 – 1:10 | Walk to the State House and Gather in House and Senate Galleries | ||
| 1:15 – 1:30 | Reading of the House and Senate Resolutions on Early Childhood | ||
| 1:30 – 2:30 | Constituent Action in the Cedar Creek Room | ||
| All Day Committee testimony | |||
| Adjournment (there is no formal closing to the day) | |||
Registration deadline: Monday, March 5, 2012
Registration fee: $27 for the day, includes breakfast, lunch and agenda activities.
REGISTER NOW! https://www.eventville.com/catalog/eventregistration1.asp?eventid=1008987
Payment notes
- Online registration is strongly preferred and helps us keep our costs down. This year, you may opt to register online and send a check for payment within seven days.
- You may also opt to download the print registration form and mail it in. Please consider registering online to save time, cost, and paper.
- Registration questions? Please contact James Woodard at ECDL@jameswoodardconsulting.com or by calling 802-310-2125 between 9am and 6pm Monday-Friday.
Already registered for Early Childhood Day at the Legislature? Please download, print, and review these fact sheets before you come to Montpelier on March 14th.
Reserve On-Site Child Care Provided by the Family Center of Washington County
To reserve space between 8:30 and 1:00, register your child(ren) when you register or contact Ann Latullippe at childrensroom@wdsdvt.org or 802-244-5605.
Reserve Organizational Display Space
To reserve table space in the Ethan Allen room, submit payment when you register ($25 for a half table and $50 for a full table) or contact Heather Mattison at hmattison13@gmail.com or (w) 802-769-6176 or (c) 802-282-9092.
Circulate ECDL Flyer
Click here to download a color or black and white flyer to circulate in your community playgroup, early care and education program or workplace.
Submit your statement to "I Believe that Quality Early Care and Education is Important Because."
Statements will be shared with legislators at ECDL. Submit yours online at the Coalition's website, post to the Coalition's facebook page or email kault1@earthlink.net.
Get Involved in ECDL Planning and Recruitment
Contact Kelly Ault, Kids Are Priority One Coalition Organizing Director & ECDL Coordinator, at 802-272-0795 or kault1@earthlink.net to help in the following ways:
| ____ | I am interested in participating in the statewide ECDL Organizing Committee to share ideas and learn ways that people in my community can participate in the day. |
| ____ | Circulate the ECDL flyer through local early childhood community listservs, schools, early care and education providers, parent networks, workplaces and organizations |
| ____ | Share ECDL information at meetings |
| ____ | Submit ECDL calendar listing in your local newsletter(s) |
| ____ | Encourage submissions to the statement: "I Believe that Quality Early Care and Education is Important because…" |
| ____ | Invite your legislators to the ECDL constituent luncheon |
| ____ | Recruit attendees from your community (early childhood educators, employers, etc.) |
| ____ | Volunteer to help out on the day of the event (contact Ann Latullippe at childrensroom@wdsdvt.org or 802-244-5605) |
Highlights from 2011: Click here to learn about last year's event:
http://www.kidsarepriorityone.org/early-childhood-day-legislature-2011.html
Questions about ECDL? Contact Kelly Ault, ECDL Coordinator, Kids Are Priority One Coalition, 802-272-0795 or kault1@earthlink.net.
Keynote Address
The keynote address will be given by the Hon. Barbara O'Brien, PhD, currently a Senior Fellow at The Piton Foundation, Policy Director of the Campaign for Grade Level Reading, and previously Colorado's Lieutenant Governor and president of the Colorado Children's Campaign.
Barbara O'Brien is the first fellow of Piton Foundation, a foundation dedicated to improving conditions and opportunities for low-income children. O'Brien is continuing her work to advance a state and national education reform agenda, from preschool to college. She also serves as the policy director for the Campaign for Grade Level Reading, a national initiative to improve reading for low income children by focusing on a birth-to-eight agenda.
Prior to joining the Piton Foundation, O'Brien served four years as Colorado's 47th Lieutenant Governor, becoming the fourth woman to hold the position in Colorado's history. As Lt. Governor, O'Brien's portfolio included co-chairing the newly created P-20 Education Council, co-chairing the Colorado Space Coalition, chairing the Metro Denver Health and Wellness Commission, serving as spokesperson for the Colorado CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Program), chairing the advisory committee for the development of a comprehensive early childhood system, overseeing the Head Start State Collaboration Office and the Governor's Commission on Community Service and promoting the arts and arts education.
Prior to becoming Lt. Governor, O'Brien served 16 years as president of the Colorado Children's Campaign. She led major policy initiatives that expanded early childhood education, increased funding for schools, created a data-based educator evaluation system, created charter schools, increased access to healthcare for uninsured children, reduced teen smoking, and expanded after- school programs.