2026 Early Childhood Day at the Legislature

Join the Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance, early childhood professionals, parents, employers, and policymakers for Early Childhood Day at the Legislature (ECDL) on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, in Montpelier! Gather in person to:

  • Meet with legislators about early childhood issues
  • Attend workshops on current topics
  • Network and exchange information

The issues on our 2026 Legislative Agenda will play central roles at this year’s ECDL.

Early registration is encouraged! To register a group larger than five, please contact Taylor Hughey, Alliance Outreach Manager, at taylor@vecaa.org.

Scholarships and professional development are available. Contact taylor@vecaa.org with any questions.

Location: Capitol Plaza Hotel Montpelier, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, State Street, Montpelier, VT, USA

Register here

AGENDA

  • 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Registration, Lobby, Capitol Plaza
  • 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM, Welcome Coffee Service, Governor’s Ballroom at the Capitol Plaza
  • 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Vendor Displays, Governor’s Ballroom, Capitol Plaza
  • 9:20 AM – 9:30 AM, Break, Transition to Issue Session A
  • 9:00 AM – 9:20 AM, Welcoming Comments, Governor’s Ballroom, Capitol Plaza
  • 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM, Issue Session A, Morning options at the Capitol Plaza (participants select one).
  • 10:30 AM – 10:45 AM, Break, Transition to Issue Session B
  • 10:45 AM – 11:45 AM, Issue Session B, Second Morning Options at the Capitol Plaza Hotel
  • 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM, Constituent / Legislator Lunch, Join us in the Governor’s Ballroom to find your assigned table and grab your lunch prior to the Constituent/Legislator Lunch to discuss early childhood issues. This is your time to share your experience with legislators and ask them about your issue in the legislative process.
  • 1:00 PM – 1:20 PM, House of Representatives Welcome, Walk with legislators to the State House. Once you arrive, go directly to the House chamber back row (2nd floor) or climb the stairs to the balcony (3rd floor) to witness an early childhood devotional. Participants can then leave the chamber quietly to go back to the Capitol Plaza for their afternoon session.
  • 1:20 PM – 1:30 PM, Break, Transition to Afternoon Sessions
  • 1:30 PM – 2:30 PM, Afternoon Sessions, Afternoon Options at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and the State House (participants can choose one).

SESSION TOPICS

Morning Options at the Capitol Plaza Hotel

Issue Session A
● CACFP Sponsor Funding: Improve Food Access in ECE Settings, Hunger Free VT
● ECE Workforce: Establishing Early Childhood Education as a Profession, VTAEYC
● Fingerprinting: Streamline and Modernize Background Checks, YMCAs/Head Start Assoc.
● Child Protection: Close the AoE Background Check Loophole, Prevent Child Abuse VT
● Fair Share for Vermont: Raising State Revenue, Fund Vermont’s Future/Public Assets Inst.
● Emergency Shelter: Protect Access for Unsheltered Families, ACLU
● Children’s Integrated Services: Funding the CIS System and SAG, Alliance
● FY27 State Budget: Supporting Core Services, Alliance

Issue Session B
● Early Childhood Education: Building on Our Child Care Progress, LGKAN/VTAEYC
● 3SquaresVT Funding: Ensure Access for Vermont Families, Hunger Free VT
● Federal Funding Cuts: Supporting Responses to Federal Funding Reductions, Alliance
● Parent Child Center Network: Supporting Families in Uncertain Times, PCCN
● Access to Doula Coverage for Medicaid Births: Implement Act 50 (S.53), Doula Assoc. of VT
● Information and Referral: Ensuring a Strong, Sustainable Vermont 211, United Ways of VT
● Reach Up: Ending Child Poverty is a Policy Choice, Voices for Vermont’s Children

Afternoon Options at the Capitol Plaza Hotel and the State House:

● Advocacy Seminar: Advocacy 101 – The Building Blocks (for newer advocates), Alliance
● Advocacy Seminar: Advocacy 102 – The Process in Action (for more experienced
advocates), Alliance
● Why Recognition Matters: The ECE Profession Bill and Career Supports, VTAEYC
● Understanding VT’s Child Care Landscape: Cost of Care and Supply/Demand Reports, First
Children’s Finance
● Creating a Food Secure Future for All Vermont’s Children by 2035, Hunger Free VT
● Paid Leave: Present and Future, Paid Leave Coalition
● If You Build It: Navigating Child Care Construction Project Management, VCLF