Grantees

The Sharon Academy will provide presentations and facilitated discussions on high-interest topics for youth, families, and community members. The primary goal of this project is to build community through connection, shared resources, and learning, and to provide education and support in optimizing the social and emotional development of our adolescents.

Families First is an innovative and exciting program based in rural Vermont that supports local children and families. The guiding principles of Families First will be Advocacy, Building Community and Cultivating Citizenship. The goal is to develop and support the whole family. This program will provide families with therapeutic support, connections with local resources and community agencies, education in the area of child development, provision of practical strategies and exploration of educational and employment opportunities in our region. This program will be based out of a not for profit childcare center located in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. Families First will support and nurture families in and around this region.

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.

Essex Pediatrics Strengthening Families Initiative (EPSFI) was created in July 2024 to provide support for children and families experiencing barriers to wellness in Vermont. We provide access to integrated support services for mental health, education and skills development, and optimal parenting.
EPSFI continues to formalize our family resilience program to include home visiting, with targeted parent education and training, as well as facilitation of parent and child mental health support groups. The program will provide support, psychoeducation, and care coordination through trained home visitors to facilitate family connection and parent-child attunement.

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