Parent Child CENTERs are a network of community-based non-profit organizations, serving all of Vermont. The focus of each CENTER is to provide support and education to families with young children. The goal is to help all Vermont families get off to a healthy start, promote well-being, and build on family strengths. To meet this goal each Parent Child Center offers eight core services: home visits; early childhood services; parent education; parent support: on-site programs; playgroups; information and referral; and community development.

A Strengthening Families Demonstration Project has been in place since 2014, in Rutland, St. Albans, and Barre Parent Child Centers and there are efforts underway to expand this initiative statewide. Strengthening Families provides intensive family services to families who have open family support cases with the Family Services Division of the Department for Children and Families. These families have been assessed at high or very high risk of maltreating their children in the future. Seventy percent (70%) of all DCF open cases have a child under the age of 3. Historically (without Strengthening Families), 30% of children with open family support cases come into state custody. With Strengthening Families, only 7% of children with open cases have come into custody, and the children are safe.

Updated February 2016