In July 2000 Windham Child Care Association and Unified Voice for Children of Chittenden County organized an all-day, statewide Early Childhood Activists' Retreat at the home of the late Senator Jean Ankeney. This retreat helped set the stage for the formation of the Kids Are Priority One Coalition in September 2000 by four organizations:

• Parent to Parent of Vermont
• Vermont Child Care Providers' Association
• Voices for Vermont's Children (formerly Vermont Children's Forum)
• Windham Child Care Association

Representatives from these four organizations provided the Coalition's initial staff.

An Early Childhood Strategic Planning Retreat, convened by the Vermont Community Foundation in November 2000, helped to flesh out the coalition's initial policy agenda. (See Policy Agenda for information on how the coalition's annual policy agenda is now set). Six Vermont-based non-profit organizations now lead and staff the Coalition.