Vermont Community Preschool Collaborative
What is the Vermont Community Preschool Collaborative?
Funded by numerous philanthropic partners and located at the Vermont Community Foundation, the goal of the Vermont Community Preschool Collaborative (VCPC) is to provide support and resources that allow Vermont communities to establish or expand high quality preschool initiatives that qualify for public education funding. The VCPC assists schools, child care providers and others to collaborate in providing high quality preschool opportunities that are eligible for funding from the Vermont Department of Education. Funders include:
- A.D. Henderson Foundation
- Anonymous
- Ben and Jerry's Foundation
- Dr. Arnold and Virginia Golodetz
- Kelsey Trust
- Permanent Fund for the Well-Being of Vermont Children
- Turrell Fund
- Vermont Children's Trust Foundation
How can I start a VCPC project in my community?
The funders advocate for the process of creating universal, publicly funded preschool to be a collaborative, community-driven endeavor that necessarily takes time. We also believe that Mark Sustic's expertise adds significant value to each project. Therefore we encourage communities to be in contact with Mark as soon as possible, and to plan to invest time in the process before submiting an application.
1) Please download the guidelines and application questions for 2010/2011 VCPC projects (starting after July 2010, concluding by the end of June 2011).
2) Proposals are reviewed quarterly (March, June, September and December). To coincide with the school year and the opportunity to count children for ADM in September/October, we suggest that communities plan on submitting proposals in March prior to the year of proposed funding.
3) Because these collaborative planning processes take time, we recommend that you contact Mark Sustic as soon as possible in your process. Send Mark Sustic an e-mail (mrksustc@together.net) with your intent to apply at minimum a month before the quarterly deadlines - ideally, even earlier. You are encouraged to take advantage of Mark Sustic's expertise as you prepare your proposal. After a community notifies Mark of their intent to apply, he will schedule a time with them to review plans, either in person or via conference call.
| Quarterly Deadlines: | Contact Mark Sustic by: | Applicants notified of funding decisions completed by: |
|---|---|---|
| March 1 (Recommended Deadline) | February 1 | April 15 |
| June 1 | May 1 | July 15 |
| September 1 | August 1 | October 15 |
| December 1 | November 1 | January 15 |
Why is preschool important for the youngest Vermonters?
High quality preschool helps children sharpen their cognitive and social-emotional skills, helps them learn to follow directions, join in activities, take turns, solve problems and relate to peers and teachers. Decades of research shows that these skills lay the foundation for children who are more confident, more interested and more likely to succeed in the K-12 system.
Contact:
Mark Sustic
PO Box 163
Fairfax, VT 05454
802-849-6968
mrksustc@together.net