Grantees

Vermont measures child care quality through a 5-level STARS (STep Ahead Recognition System) program, which recognizes centers that exceed basic licensing requirements. Our program director is currently working towards earning a level 2 STAR. Improving the quality of care often requires significant investment. We are seeking funding to integrate the Arts permanently into our Outdoor Classroom. The weather proof art easel in our outdoor classroom will foster creativity, hand-eye coordination, sensory stimulation and fine motor development. Music provides numerous benefits for toddlers, supporting development across several key areas, including emotional regulation and brain development. The Musical Fence consists of vertical, galvanized, metal tubes spaced closely together that make musical sounds when children drag their hand or mallet along the pipes. These pipes teach them about the randomness of sounds, and that making "music" is up to them. Funding for these two pieces of equipment will move our outdoor classroom beyond basic, minimal programming and provide a truly high-quality experience.

STEAM Learning is a consistent area of focus in our preschool. Our program engages preschoolers through a combination of books, music, art, and hands-on exploration to introduce complex topics. The combination of high quality hands-on learning materials with multiple avenues of learning has made our program highly successful. The grant funds would help us acquire updated toys/materials that will be used by the students daily.

The Little School suffered severe damage from flooding this past summer and we are looking to replace items lost in the flood. We are hoping to purchase 2 new tricycles, and an outdoor magnetic wall. This equipment will help with children's growth across all domains of learning while enjoying our outside play space.

Living Tree Alliance believes all children should explore and connect to the seasons and to each other. Our educators provide outdoor, place-based education for exploring and building community. We host field trips, after school programs, community wide programs, and camps to create experiences of wonder. Youth share in the work of homesteading and interact with our animals, garden and forest. Building out our natural playground will enhance opportunities for creative and collaborative play. We are extending our Adventure Garden by adding swings, a sandbox, sense gardens, and outdoor games for kids ages 6-12 to expand their connection to the land.

Lund’s Early Childhood Education Program (LECP) is a 5-STAR rated therapeutic childcare and early education program, specially designed to guide children through the most crucial period of brain development—birth through age five. LECP uses a play-based curriculum, valuing creativity and respect for nature and all living things. This philosophy allows children the opportunity for physical, cognitive and social/emotional development. After recently expanding our infant room capacity and adding 4 new infants, new floor mats and climbing equipment will keep the youngest children at Lund safe and supported as they learn to crawl, walk, and climb.

School age programs seek to purchase 2 I-Pads, to use the Devereaux DESSA-Mini assessment process to help identify social and emotional levels of the children ages 5-12 in our programs. This system apprises our staff of areas that could be addressed for children in their group, to help improve social/emotional resiliencies. Presently, we use a manual quarterly reporting system that has two persons respond to the 8 questions of the DESSA; the results are charted, differences in observations are discussed, and strategies are formed. Beginning with summer 2016, we are switching to an online system to make the process be more agile and faster to respond to needs. This will require use of I-Pads, to be rotated through all of our sites.

In January 2025, rePlay Arts moved to a larger facility where we created a designated classroom for onsite programming. Since completing renovations in May 2025, we have added onsite hands-on programs to our existing roster of outreach programs. Specifically, these programs have included the following two tracks of workshops focused on building skills, creativity, confidence, and community: 1 - Public programs with visiting teaching artists 2 - Partnership programs with groups served by community based organizations Each workshop centers a different creative project using donated materials to engage participants of all ages and abilities. Piloting these two workshop tracks has demonstrated how our new classroom can successfully support groups in creating hands-on projects and establishing new relationships. This pilot has revealed the need for specialized equipment to organize and store program materials to maximize classroom efficiency while creating a welcoming and accessible environment for participants, many of whom have disabilities and sensory sensitivities. A rolling tool cart will allow us to store our wide variety of artmaking tools so that they are accessible to all, and staff and students can clearly see and choose the tools they need for their comfort and ability level. Storage cabinets with doors will allow us to store large quantities and heavy materials in a way that is accessible, but not is visually overwhelming and can be closed off as needed.

Purchase equipment for math enrichment at the out of school time program.