Grantees

Changing Perspectives will provide direct support and resources to schools in the Northeast Kingdom to implement social-emotional learning practices. Geographic and economic obstacles prevent schools in the region from gaining access to high-quality SEL programming. Social-emotional learning refers to an array of fundamental skills (e.g., emotional regulation, building healthy relationships) that are linked to personal, academic, and professional success. Changing Perspectives is an educational nonprofit that partners with preK-12 schools to advance thinking and practice around SEL and inclusion. We support schools in five ways: curriculum, family workshops, educator professional development, site visits, and educator coaching.

The Community Health Centers of Burlington (CHCB) operates our area’s only School-Based Dental Center, providing a dental home for low-income children in the Burlington School District. This innovative, small clinic provides three main services: preventative care, restorative treatment, and dental education. As part of their school day, kids receive regular check-ups and cleanings twice a year, preventing tooth decay, gum disease and enamel wear. The program eases the practical barriers many low-income families face for their children’s dental care. The results are clear: no child suffers from dental pain and infection, and through better health, children miss fewer days of school and perform better in the classroom.

The Family Place is planning the sustainable expansion of their Child and Family Therapy Program, in order to address the well-documented need for mental health services for families with young children in the Upper Valley, particularly those affected by trauma. After expanding the capacity of their program by hiring two new Child and Family Therapists in 2024-2025, they are planning to increase their outreach to ensure they are reaching all parts of our service area, provide training and consulting to community partners who work with children and families to amplify their reach, and integrate their therapists into their Early Care and Education Program to provide training, classroom support and consultation for their early educators.

Pilot, revise and implement PCAV's child sexual abuse preventon program for third through sixth grade students and the adults who teach and care for them. The program includes developmentally appropriate curricula for grades 3,4,5, and 6 including training for parents and school staff.

River Gallery School is a 45 year old community art program located in Brattleboro, Vermont that holds the core belief that each person has artistic and creative capacities which, when nurtured, will lead to unique and valuable expression. We are expanding our Children's Art Program which serves 3 to 18 year olds and offers an individualized approach to painting, drawing, and sculpture, in an environment where we nurture each child’s free imagination, while supplying technical support where needed.

The Boys & Girls Club of Brattleboro is expanding our Children’s Farm & Forest After Care Program in partnership with Brattleboro’s Retreat Farm. This program brings groups of young people to the Retreat Farm where they learn about flora, fauna, and ecosystems through structured activities. Participants enjoy a schedule of seasonally-appropriate learning guided by outdoor educators and child development specialists. Our planned expansion includes the following new program components: 1) Opportunities for High School students to join the staff team and receive both stipends and work experience 2) A more robust shuttle service making the program accessible to students at area schools 3) More skills-based workshops with guest educators

The Circle of Parenting Program aims to strengthen parent child relations, social skills and emotional wellness, increase financial literacy, build community connections with the goal of establishing safe, nurturing, stable homes.

The first five years are years of the greatest growth and the greatest vulnerability. Playgroups promote social skills, key to preventing school failure, and increase parental support, reducing isolation. We will expand our early intervention program by hosting an integrated birth to five playgroup at the Family Center. The playgroup will be staffed by early educators and other specialists so parents can ask questions about development in an informal setting. This ensures that developmental challenges are addressed early-on, preventing school failure. It will give additional support to children with diagnosed disabilities and their parents, strengthening learning and community connections.