| Support Groups and Associations |
Child Care Provider GroupsVermont Child Care Providers Association (VCCPA): a state-wide, nonprofit, professional organization offering peer support as well as access to information and resources. Members advocate on the local, state, and national levels to assure that the needs of child care professionals are met. Membership fee is required. To find out more about the VCCPA, click here, or call Cheryl Wells at (802) 796-4180. Child Care Center Directors: Join a group of Chittenden County child care center directors who are interested in getting together to share ideas, support, and information. For more information or to become a part of this group, call Karen Gray at (802) 878-1060. Local Starting Points Groups: Starting Points Groups offer family child care providers the opportunity to meet with other local providers to discuss issues related to early childhood and school age care, professional development, and news from the files, while also offering peer support. Please contact Laura Butler at (802) 893-7501 or Theresa Robinson at (802) 899-4976 for more information on a meeting near you. Vermont OrganizationsIncluded here are groups whose missions are rooted in the child care field and are either unique to Vermont, or are local affiliates of national organizations. Children's Integrated Services (CIS): CIS is a resource for pregnant or postpartum women and families with children from birth to age 6. CIS can help: Pregnant or Postpartum Women - If you have questions or concerns about a condition or risk situation that impacts your or your baby's health or safety; Families - If you have questions or concerns about providing a stable, healthy environment for your children; Children - If you are the parent of a child age 6 or younger, and you have questions or concerns about a suspected developmental delay or condition. For more information about this program, read the CIS Booklet Building Bright Futures of Chittenden County: Includes parents, providers, and anyone interested in children. The focus of this group is advocacy efforts on behalf of the early childhood field. Telephone: (802) 652-5138 Kids are Priority One email network: a listserv dedicated to communicating about Vermont's Priority One legislation. E-mail: VTPriorityOne-subscribe@egroups.com Northern Lights Career Development Center: Child Care Resource aligns professional development opportunities with Level I and Level II of the Northern Lights Career Development Center's Core Competencies for Early Childhood and Afterschool Professionals. Please visit the Northern Lights Career Development Center's website at: www.northernlightscdc.org for information on Core Competencies, Level I, and Level II curriculum and other information pertaining to professional growth. Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children (VAEYC): a statewide professional organization for early childhood professionals. (NAEYC Affiliate). Website: www.vaeyc.org Voices for Vermont's Children: a statewide nonprofit organization that works on various children's issues, including early care and education. Telephone: (802) 229-6377 Vermont School Age Care Network: A new network for those interested in quality experiences for school age children. Telephone: (802) 388-2853 National OrganizationsMany of these national organizations have local affiliates in Vermont. Let us know which organizations you have found to be helpful! Children's Defense Fund (CDF): a national children's advocacy organization. Telephone: (202) 628-8787 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): a national professional organization for early childhood professionals. Offers a center based accreditation process. Telephone: 1-800-424-2460 National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC): a national organization that provides support, information, and accreditation for those providing or interested in family child care. Telephone: 1-800-359-3817 National School Age Care Alliance (NSCA): a national organization that gathers local networks of care providers under one national umbrella, bringing together their collective wisdom and experience. Offers accreditation for school age programs. Telephone: (617) 298-5012 Redleaf National Institute: The Institute's National Center for the Business of Family Child Care helps providers successfully manage their businesses. Telephone: (651) 641-6675 Center for Career Development in Early Care and Education - Wheelock College: The Center strives to improve the quality of early care and education by creating viable career development systems for practitioners. Telephone: (617) 734-5200 Child Care Action Campaign: an advocacy organization that works on policies and programs that increase the availability of quality child care. Telephone: (212) 239-0138 Child Care Law Center: works exclusively on legal issues concerning the establishment and provision of child care. Telephone: (415) 495-5498 The Children's Foundation: conducts research and provides information and training on federal food programs, quality child care, leadership development, health care, and enforcement of court-ordered child support. ERIC/EECE: collects and communicates research, literature, fact sheets, and briefing papers on the physical, cognitive, social, educational, and cultural development of children from birth through early adolescence. Telephone: 1-800-583-4135 Families and Work Institute: committed to developing new approaches toward balancing the changing needs of America's families. Telephone: (212) 465-2044 Center for the Child Care Workforce: committed to improving the quality of child care services through upgrading the compensation and training of teachers and providers. Telephone: (202) 737-7700 National Child Care Association: a trade association that represents the private, licensed early childhood community. Telephone: 1-800-543-7161 National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care: seeking to enhance the quality of child care by supporting state and local health departments, child care regulatory agencies, child care providers, and parents in their effort to promote health and safety in child care. Telephone: 1-800-598-KIDS National Institute on Out-of-School Time (NIOST): works to improve the quality and quantity of school-age child care programs through collaborative work. Telephone: (617) 283-2547 USA Child Care: a membership organization of early childhood service providers and advocates committed to serving low-moderate income children. Telephone: (202) 488-8135 |
