A strong start to the legislative session
This session we’re leading and working in coalition on a full landscape of issues impacting child wellbeing, and making the most of opportunities to advance meaningful progress for children and youth at the statehouse. By taking a multi-issue, systems level approach we are able to connect the dots on priority issues, respond in the moment to emergent opportunities, and identify possible unintended consequences for kids and families. We are headed into the session strong, tracking and informing progress on a broad range of bills across many different committees at the same time; from housing, to human services, to judiciary, to health.
We could not do this without your support and investment—which is more critical than ever as we move through our 40th year. In the face of an uncertain future, it is essential to stand together around the needs of children and youth. As the session evolves, there will be ongoing opportunities to help us drive change on critical issues, from advancing Medicaid coverage for community doulas to updating our child protection data system. In the meantime, our Policy Agenda and Policy Priorities Webinar are a great starting point to understand our approach to this session. Check them out and let us know what you think!
Issue highlight: Medicaid coverage for community doulas
Outcomes and experiences for birthing people and families remain an area of persistent and stark disparity, where numerous systemic failures frequently converge upon parents and children during a vulnerable and determinative period. Community doulas, who are trained to provide continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a mother before, during, and shortly after childbirth, have been consistently shown to have a significant impact on perinatal wellbeing by preserving and protect a birthing person’s agency and knowledge of their own self and their own needs. The community doula model is an asset-based, comprehensive approach that centers the development of ongoing relationships with community members.
This session brings an important new opportunity to advance access to community doulas in the form of S.109, a bill which would allow Medicaid to reimburse for doula support. This week, Voices provided both written and live testimony to Senate Health and Welfare, highlighting key principles to center as Vermont moves forward in considering this policy. We’re committed to reflecting the voices and leadership of both community doulas and those most impacted by reproductive injustice in the crafting of policy to create meaningful pathways for community-based, evidence-driven solutions.
Eye on Research: Race for Results Report
Research and data transparency are central to our advocacy. This month, Voices collaborated with our partners at the Annie E Casey foundation on the release of their 2024 Race for Results Report, highlighting racial disparities in key areas of child wellbeing. Despite Vermont’s seemingly striking success in comparison to other states, a deeper dig into the data unearths persistent economic disparities for children of color and especially for black children in Vermont that should inform policy choices. For example:
94% of white children in Vermont live in low poverty neighborhoods, while only 73% of Black children, 75% of Asian and Pacific Islander children, and 85% of Hispanic/Latino children do.
Conversely, while only 55% of Black children live in households at or above 200% of the federal poverty level, 70% of white children do.
These points highlight that, despite having made important strides toward economic wellbeing for all children, we continue to fail our state’s BIPOC communities all too frequently. Economic justice is racial justice- by committing to it, we can make Vermont a more supportive place for all children.
Events and engagement:
Building and sharing power is central to our definition of success. This month, we’ve been busy joining and co-sponsoring events all over the state, calling attention to the needs of children and families.
What does a week of engagement look like for Voices? On 1/26, we joined Rep Balint, State Rep Kornheiser, and our partners at Public Assets Institute and Capstone Community Action in Barre to draw attention to the EITC and CTC and ensure all Vermonters are able to benefit from refundable tax credits. We also celebrated (from afar) the success of last Friday’s powerful Families United event hosted by our partners at The Root Social Justice Center, which brought together child advocates, parent advocates, and others impacted by DCF to discuss family separation and move toward healing. This past weekend Voices marched in Montpelier with 350 VT and many partners from around the state to call for a collective approach to economic, racial, and social justice. Monday, 1/29 it was on to Burlington for the Kid Safe Collaborative’s legislative forum, where we appreciated the emphasis on youth voice and the opportunity to hear about the priorities of Chittenden County legislators in support of child safety, and Tuesday we joined and co-sponsored NAMI’s virtual mental health day at the legislature!
Have an event you think we should be aware of? Contact Kit at kit@voicesforvtkids.org.
Upcoming opportunities:
Whether online or in person, there are lots of ways to get involved in learning, advocating, and finding support around key issues impacting child wellbeing around the state. Come out and join us!
Apply to lead an Education Justice Workshop at the second annual Education for Social Justice Conference: “Power to the People, Collective Power for Collective Liberation”The deadline for proposals is Thursday, February 18th. Stipends provided for workshops with facilitators who are youth, BIPOC, and/or have a disability. Interested in helping keep the conference free and accessible? You can support it here.
Share your story with Vermont Narratives for Change: A coalition of organizations in Vermont is launching a powerful storytelling project that aims to shed light on experiences with harassment, hazing, and bullying in schools. This project seeks to raise awareness about the impact of these negative behaviors and advocate for positive change within schools statewide. We believe that by sharing collective stories, we can create connections and validation that support a healing process for affected students.
Saturday, Feb 2 Saturday School- Join the Vermont Worker’s Center Nonviolent Medicaid Army for their first national Saturday School of 2024. February’s topic is “Why the Nonviolent Medicaid Army? Organizing the Leading Social Force.” 1-2:30 pm.
Monday, Feb 5 Youth 4 Change Info Session and discussion on DCF-ALL youth ages 12-22 are invited to join an important conversation about a recent proposal by DCF to provide secure treatment beds for juveniles. This is an opportunity to speak with community leaders about concerns around potential harm and discuss how to direct resources instead toward preventative measures that ensure youth are provided the care, love, consistent homes, and communities they deserve. 5:30-7:30 pm.
Thursday, February 15th Our Children are Not a Threat: Keeping Children Safe in the Age of Threat Assessments- Join the Education Justice Coalition to learn the facts about threat assessments, how they can put children (especially those with marginalized identities) at risk, and what you can do if a child you know is undergoing a threat assessment. 5:30-7:00pm on Zoom.
Wednesday, February 21st Up For Learning Racial Justice Dialogues- Join this powerful dialogue series, planned and co-facilitated by UP for Learning's youth partners in Vermont, Mississippi, and Connecticut! The heart of these sessions is sharing stories from diverse perspectives, listening for understanding, connecting as a community, and creating affinity groups for action. 9:30-10:45 am.
Thursday, February 22 NAMI Family to Family Class- Is someone you love affected by a mental health condition? Enroll in NAMI Vermont's free 8-week virtual Family-to-Family class starting Feb 22, 6:30–9:00 p.m. This course, taught by experienced family members, is designed to improve coping and problem-solving skills.
Saturday, March 2 VT Poor People’s Campaign Statehouse Assembly - Join the Vermont Poor People’s Campaign for a march and assembly at the statehouse to demand a living wage, universal access to healthcare, immediate action on climate change, upholding and strengthening voter rights, and challenge the war economy. March at 10, assembly at 11.
Tuesday, April 2 Vermont Family Network’s Annual Conference -Registration is now open for VFN’s 2024 conference. This year’s theme is-“Change Begins with You – Using Your Voice to Make a Difference.” UVM Davis Center 9:00-4:00.
Wednesday, April 10 VECAA Early Childhood Day at the Legislature -Join us in person for the 30th Annual ECDL on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier!