Grantees

This grant funds Intergenerational Dialog Nights with meals, engaging activities and enrichment opportunities. These events will be focused on wellness, lifelong skills education and social and recreational interaction.

The Family and Children’s Program (FCP) operates in Chittenden and Grand Isle counties, cares for about 750 children each year and provides parents with information and tools to maximize each child’s physical, mental, and emotional development. FCP is comprised of Pediatric Rehabilitation (PR) and Nursing and Family Support (NFS). Families would use the new equipment on a short term basis to aid development and provide safe environments. Adaptive tableware would support feeding skills within PR. Access to developmentally appropriate feeding tools allow families to better care for their children. Child locks and safety covers for income insecure families in NFS will ensure children are safe within their home and reduce caregivers’ stress.

Family Play is a year-round weekly drop-in parent-child interactive play and literacy group for parents and caregivers with children ages 0-5 to offer parent education and support featuring a variety of groups and classes to promote cross-cultural relationships and family health and wellbeing. The program happens on-site from October-May and at a summer nature garden from June-September. Family Play takes place in a community environment featuring supportive experiences, positive expectations, and self-care to effect intergenerational change. With every adult caregiver who participates, there is at least one child who is also benefiting from these nurturing and supportive experiences.

A home visiting program for families attending The Family Place with a mental health slant on the visits.

We are creating a program to implement targeted Family Support. Our Family Support specialist will have continuous engagement with all our families, support families if they need assistance with child care subsidy applications, help support families facing housing crisis, food insecurities, reach out to local community partners on behalf of the family to ensure they are getting the support needed from each agency they work with or want to be involved with. The Family Support Specialist will schedule and do outreach events with our center and families with the intentional purpose that our families will feel close and connected to our center, their child’s teacher and our Family Support Specialist.

MoonRise Therapeutics (MRT) is a farm-based nonprofit healing emotional and psychological trauma, and promoting mental health in the Upper Valley of Vermont. MRT brings together children and adults in need with skilled clinical professionals and a herd of well-loved horses. The practice of integrating horses into mental health work creates a uniquely effective setting for healing and growth. As a member of Mt. Ascutney Hospital’s Strengthening Families Workgroup, MRT is being funded to continue running Circle of Security Parenting trainings, Playgroups, and Family Days. These programs are designed to enhance caregivers’ social connection, resulting in stronger, more secure attachments for children and families.

Increase time for family visits and communication with medical and school professionals and enhance record keeping quality and accessibility.

Vermont Farmers Food Center's Farm Based Experiential Learning (VFFC FaBEL) program serves children ages 2 and up. The programs take place in our educational greenhouse, which serves the dual purpose of providing an educational backdrop for programs and of growing produce for various food security programs. The programs are custom tailored to fit the needs of children enrolled. Engagement in our hands-on programs allows for students to take ownership of their own health, learn about nature, eco-systems, science, nutrition, community engagement and emotional well-being through a healthy connection with soil, plants, and their peers. The programs require equipment such as hand tools, wheel barrows, hoses, watering cans, seed trays, and more