Every child deserves the stability, identity, and sense of belonging that come from meaningful relationships with the family who love them.
Vermont Kids Connected is a statewide coalition of parents, grandparents, family law practitioners, attorneys, mediators, mental health professionals, child development experts, educators, researchers, policymakers, and community members working together to improve Vermont family law so that children can maintain the safe, meaningful family relationships they need to thrive.
We believe Vermont’s family laws should reflect the best available research, respect constitutional rights, and promote children’s long-term stability, continuity, identity, and well-being.
We support thoughtful, evidence-based legal reforms that:
- Place children’s long-term well-being at the center of family-law decisions.
- Reflect current research on child development and family relationships.
- Protect children from harm while preserving safe and meaningful family relationships whenever possible.
- Require important decisions to be supported by evidence and specific findings.
- Provide Vermont courts with clearer, more consistent legal standards.
Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, attorney, mediator, mental health professional, educator, researcher, policymaker, or concerned Vermonter, we invite you to join us in advancing child-centered, evidence-based reform.
Did You Know?
A child can lose the involvement of a parent if the parents don’t agree.
In Vermont, courts cannot order shared legal or physical custody unless both parents agree—even when both parents raised the child.
After losing a parent, a child could also lose their grandparents.
Vermont law does not automatically protect a child’s relationship with the deceased parent’s family.
Our Principles
Kids First
Children’s long-term well-being should remain at the center of every family policy and every family law decision.
Evidence-Based
We support reforms informed by research in child development, psychology, family science, and the lived experiences of Vermont families.
Connected Kids Thrive
Children generally benefit from maintaining meaningful relationships with loving parents, grandparents, siblings, and extended family.
Modern Families
Families come in many forms. Policies should reflect today’s realities while promoting stability, continuity, and belonging.
Collaboration
Real progress comes from bringing together diverse perspectives in pursuit of one shared goal: helping children thrive.
Our Legislative Priorities
Vermont Kids Connected supports reforms addressing:
Shared Parental Responsibility
Modernizing Vermont law governing parental rights and responsibilities so that children can maintain substantial relationships with both fit parents when it is safe and appropriate.
Family Continuity
Giving courts clearer authority and standards to protect significant relationships with grandparents and other family members following parental death, separation, or other major family disruption.
Evidence-Based Court Decisions
Requiring restrictions on important family relationships to be based on evidence, individualized findings, and consideration of less restrictive alternatives.
Clear and Consistent Legal Standards
Replacing vague or outdated rules with standards that provide greater predictability, accountability, and fairness for Vermont families.
Featured Proposal
The Family Continuity Act
The Family Continuity Act is a proposed modernization of Vermont family law intended to better protect children’s safety, stability, and important family relationships.
The proposal would establish clearer standards for parental rights and responsibilities, protect children’s relationships with parents and grandparents, address relocation, and require stronger justification for decisions that limit important family connections.
Research & Resources
Sound legislation requires sound evidence.
We collect research, legal analysis, Vermont court decisions, comparative state laws, and policy materials relevant to the proposed reforms.
Explore:
- Research on children and family relationships
- Vermont statutes and court decisions
- Shared-parenting laws in other states
- Grandparent and family-continuity legislation
- The Family Continuity Act and supporting materials
Share Your Story
Every family’s experience matters.
Behind every court decision and every statute are real children and real families. We’re collecting stories from parents, grandparents, and other family members to better understand how Vermont’s family laws affect children and the people who care about them.
Whether your experience has been positive or challenging, your perspective can help identify where Vermont law is working well—and where it can be improved.
Stories shared with Vermont Kids Connected may help:
- Inform legislative proposals and public policy discussions.
- Educate lawmakers and the public about the real-world impact of Vermont family law.
- Identify common issues affecting children and families across the state.
- Build a stronger, evidence-based case for meaningful reform.
You may choose to share your story publicly, anonymously, or confidentially. We will never publish your story or identifying information without your permission.
Your experience can help shape the future of Vermont family law.
Get Involved
Changing Vermont law will require sustained, informed advocacy from families, professionals, and community members across the state.
We welcome parents, grandparents, attorneys, mediators, mental health professionals, researchers, educators, policymakers, and others who support balanced, child-centered family-law reform.