Who We Are

Our Mission and History

The mission of Vermont Family Network is to empower and support all Vermont children, youth, and families, especially those with disabilities or special health needs. We do this by giving a strong start, lifting family voices, and advancing inclusive communities. Our vision is that all Vermont children and youth reach their full potential. The values which guide our work are: family-centered, respect, collaboration, making a difference, and accessibility.
Click Here
In the 1980s, three mothers of children with special needs were each determined to create nurturing communities for families and their children. While their visions had some common threads, they felt each one’s general mission was different enough to justify the need for three different organizations, and each one moved forward to receive its 501c3 non-profit designation.
Click Here
Nancy Divenere founded Parent to Parent of Vermont, and envisioned connecting families so that no one would feel alone. Through the concepts of Support Parents and partnering with providers for family-centered care, Parent to Parent of Vermont connected families of children with special needs all over the state of Vermont.
Click Here
Connie Curtin recognized the need for inclusionary practices and expertise in Special Education as well as parent/professional partnering on IEP and 504 Plan teams in schools. She founded the Vermont Parent Information Center (VPIC) which offered assistance for families of children with disabilities advocating for the academic and social needs of their children.
Click Here
Mary K. Dennison, along with Deb Lyons, saw an opportunity to utilize the art-form of puppetry as a way to engage children in thoughtful conversations. They founded Champlain Valley Kids on the Block and trained a team of puppeteers to perform puppet shows in Chittenden County schools. Later, as they expanded, they became Kids on the Block-Vermont and in 2009, with the addition of the Friend 2 Friend program, they became Puppets in Education (PiE).
Click Here
In 2008, Parent to Parent and VPIC, having worked with many of the same families over the years, recognized the value of streamlining processes for families. The two organizations decided to merge and became Vermont Family Network (VFN). VFN could now support a family from birth through transition to adulthood, provide parent connections and support, and expertise in educational policies.
Click Here
In 2017, Puppets in Education joined the “family” by becoming a program of Vermont Family Network. Around the same time they expanded their reach beyond the borders of Vermont and have since been presenting to children and adults throughout NY and New England.
Click Here
As we grow, Vermont Family Network continues to advance inclusion among the greater community, supporting children and families where they live and go to school. There is no doubt that their greater visions have been realized. Vermont Family Network will continue our dedicated efforts to meet the needs of families all over the state, and beyond!
Click Here
Previous slide
Next slide

Our Team

Learn more about our amazing team of dedicated professionals who work tirelessly to ensure families across Vermont are empowered and supported.

Board of Directors

Learn more about our Board of Directors who dedicate their time and expertise to ensure families across Vermont are empowered and supported.

Join Our Team

Become a Part of Our Team! We invite you to join us in creating a dynamic and collaborative work environment where your skills and talents can shine. Together, we can achieve great things!

Testimonials

Thanks to Vermont Family Network who connected us with some great families when we moved back into the area. It’s assuring knowing there are organizations like this out there with tons of resources for us families with medically-complicated kids.”
Kristen IsgroParent
I am grateful for VFN help as they were always polite, timely, helpful, and educated me as to my daughter’s rights and options. They never told me what to do but always made sure I knew my options and allowed me to make my own decisions. VFN documentation was very good. If I called and got a different person they referred to the notes and I felt like the service never skipped a beat.
Parent
Helpline staff spent many hours on the phone listening to my concerns, sharing resources with me as well as wisdom gained from her own experience advocating for her child at school. I was so grateful for her kind ear and moral support during a very challenging time for our family. She was also able to assist us by sharing her knowledge of parent’s rights in special education and directing us toward other relevant legal information that guided our work in advocating for our child.
Parent
Raising a child with a disability, particularly one that is often invisible, can be a lonely journey. Because Family Support staff all have personal experience raising a child with special needs, they are particularly well equipped to offer that perfect balance of listening and offering specific guidance and support. VFN has helped us not feel alone.
Parent
Your presentations are so important – they empower children by teaching them valuable skills to reach out for help. The abuse prevention skits also teach compassion and understanding for children who may have a friend who has experienced abuse. Following the skits, I was transporting a student to a therapy appointment and he began singing lyrics he learned, ‘My body is my body…..’ then states that the skills he learned from the puppets were going to ‘help me talk to my counselor today’ about an experience he had witnessing inappropriate touching between peers.
Teacher
(After your performance) Two 4th graders-that had actually had a bullying incident amongst themselves- have advocated to start an anti-bullying alliance. Our first meeting is this coming Thursday. Hoping to involve students and staff from multiple grade levels.
Assistant Principal
Instead of looking at the ‘deficits’ children with autism have, my 4th grade students began to focus on their ‘gifts.’ One student on the autism spectrum was able to tell stories to the class and everyone appreciated his natural talent. During oral reading time, this student was chosen often because he had such a great voice when he was reading. This was a child who was hardly ever chosen before.
Teacher
Previous
Next

Our affiliations help us achieve our mission of empowering and supporting all Vermont families of children with special needs. We are part of a bigger network of parent centers across the U.S. which provides us with access to helpful information and resources. Vermont Family Network has a 501c3 non-profit designation.  

We are the federally-designated Parent Training and Information Center, the Family-to-Family Health Information Center, and the Vermont chapter of both Family Voices and Parent to Parent USA. We have been serving Vermont families and the professionals who work with them for more than 30 years.  

We help raise family voices in our state by participating as members of the Vermont Coalition for Disability Rights (VCDR) and the Vermont Early Childhood Advocacy Alliance.  

We also collaborate with the Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council, Green Mountain Self-Advocates, and the University of Vermont Center on Disability and Community Inclusion to offer the Vermont Leadership Series. This training Series is for parents of children and youth with disabilities or special health needs and self-advocates. 

There are many other organizations that we partner with and we would be happy to share our list if you’re interested.  

Notice: This website is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number H84MC21657. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by, HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government 

Our Williston office is open. Please make an appointment before visiting. We ask visitors to wear masks if not fully vaccinated or experiencing symtoms. Business hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. 

Please contact us by phone or email: (802) 876-5315  or [email protected] 

Office in Williston: 
600 Blair Park Road, Suite 240 
Williston, VT 05495 

Field staff are located in Rutland and the Northeast Kingdom. Please call our Williston office for a referral. 

Vermont Family Network 
600 Blair Park Rd., Suite 240 
Williston, Vermont 05495 

From Burlington/South Burlington 

Take Williston Road towards Williston 
Turn left onto Blair Park Road 
Turn right at Post Office to stay on Blair Park Road 
Turn left into Kidder House parking lot 

From Interstate 89 Exit 12 

Head north on VT-2A N toward Maple Tree Place 
Travel through Taft Corners past Vermont Technical College on left 
Turn left onto Blair Park Road at traffic light 
Turn left at stop sign to continue on Blair Park Road 
Turn right into Kidder House parking lot 

From 5 Corners in Essex 

Take Route VT-2A S/Park St 
Continue to follow VT-2A South / Essex Road into Williston 
Turn right after People’s United Bank (on the right) at traffic light 
Turn left at stop sign to continue on Blair Park Road 
Turn right into Kidder House parking lot 

Once in Parking Lot 

When you pull into the parking area, take a quick right turn up the hill to the SOUTH entrance. The words “Kidder Newhouse” are on the building above this entrance. You can park anywhere. Use this entrance and we are located on that level. Come through the doors and we are down the hall on the left. Our building and offices are accessible.  

Overflow parking is available in the Superstore parking lot across Blair Park Rd. 

We are pleased to present our 2023 Annual Report. We hope that you will enjoy learning about some of our accomplishments over the past year, and that this report will demonstrate how our donors’ contributions have made a significant and positive impact on our work  with children and families across the state. Vermont Family Network has a 501c3 non-profit designation. 

Verified on GuideStar. 

PAST REPORTS 

2022 Annual Report 

2021 Annual Report 

2020 Annual Report 

2019 Annual Report 

2018 Annual Report 

2017 Annual Report 

2016 Annual Report 

2015 Annual Report 

2014 Annual Report 

If you would like to see reports prior to 2014, please let us know