Voices for Vermont’s Children will be having its annual meeting on Thursday, December 19th from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

SNAP Nationwide Call-In Day was Wednesday, Dec. 4.  If you couldn’t call, here’s something else you can do to help protect SNAP benefits for the Vermont children and families who need them

Gov. Peter Shumlin won’t say yet whether he’ll support passage of a paid sick days bill that could become a cornerstone of the progressive agenda in Montpelier next year.

In 2007, state leaders created a high-profile task force and gave it a daunting challenge: Cut childhood poverty by half in 10 years.

On Oct. 5, the Burlington Free Press called for public accountability and oversight of our child protection system in an editorial (“DCF report needs emphasis on transparency”).

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program cuts will impact nearly 47 million people including 22 million children nationwide.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation is scheduled to release a new policy report on November 4th, 2013 that will outline the policy focus we need to maintain in order to best support children’s early development.

Read the op-ed published in the Rutland Herald

For Voices 2013 Wrap-Up of the 2013 Legislative Session

The 2013 KIDS COUNT Data Book, an annual publication of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, tracks the well-being of America’s children, ranks Vermont as 2nd in the nation for overall child well-being.

For the second time in recent weeks, Gov. Peter Shumlin has proposed balancing the state budget on the backs of some of Vermont’s poorest citizens.

The rate of youth in Vermont between the ages of 16 and 24-years-old who are neither in school nor working jumped 50 percent between 2000 and 2011.

70% of Vermont’s housing stock was built prior to the 1978 ban on lead paint.  Lead paint and dust from lead paint are the primary sources of lead exposure for children.

7.5% of Vermont’s children received Reach Up (TANF) benefits in 2011; a 27% increase from 2007.

Teen mothers often have fewer resources than older parents to provide for a healthy baby and for themselves.

Organizations urge focus on prevention and federal protections for children in the justice system

Voices for Vermont’s Children is on the ground in Winooski and Burlington.

The 2012 KIDS COUNT Data Book, a state-by-state study on the well-being of America’s children, ranks Vermont as third in the nation for overall child well-being.

Babies with low birthweight – under 5.5 pounds – are at risk for respiratory conditions, cognitive and developmental delays, and other long-term health complications.

98% of Vermont’s children have health insurance.