Welcome to the Kids Are Priority One Coalition

The Kids Are Priority One Coalition is Vermont's statewide early childhood coalition. Since 2000, it has brought together organizations, businesses and individuals who are committed to ensuring that all Vermont's children get a good start.

To ensure that Vermont's children are healthy, nurtured and ready for success in school and life, we are working to:

• Improve the quality of early care and education programs;
• Make early childhood resources affordable for all families;
• Increase the availability of early care and education programs;
• Share costs of children's health, care and education costs more equitably among parents, government, and the private sector;
• Collect and report accurate information to help better anticipate future care, health and education needs of Vermont's children;
• Build a sound infrastructure that meets young children's needs.

By means of constant public education, tireless grassroots organizing, skillful advocacy and ongoing leadership development activities, the Kids Are Priority One Coalition:

• Empowers people to speak out on behalf of children;
• Strengthens policies that make our early childhood system work better for children and families;
• Ensures that key decision-makers make children's health, care, and education a top priority.

The Kids Are Priority One Coalition is not a separate non-profit organization. Instead, it is led and staffed by six Vermont-based non-profits:

• Mama Says
• Vermont Family Network
• Vermont Association for the Education of Young Children
• Vermont Child Care Industry and Careers Council
• Voices for Vermont's Children
• Windham Child Care Association

The lead organizations work closely with the regional Building Bright Futures Councils in crafting and implementing Coalition strategies. For a list of the Councils, go to www.buildingbrightfutures.org.

For more information, go to About Us.