MIDDLEBURY — Aly Richards, CEO of Let’s Grow Kids, will deliver a talk titled “Vermont’s Child Care Campaign: Systems Change in Action.” on Tuesday evening, Oct. 18, at 7 p.m. in the Jessica Swift meeting room of Ilsley Library. The presentation is sponsored by AAUW (American Association of University Women) and the Middlebury library.

Come learn about the advocacy efforts of Vermont’s Child Care Campaign, which is on a path to transform Vermont’s child care system by 2025. During her presentation, Richards will discuss how access to high-quality, affordable child care for our youngest children is essential to early learning and development, a robust workforce, and a resilient economy.

“The child care crisis in Vermont is solvable, but we must work together,” Richards said.

As CEO of Let’s Grow Kids, Aly Richards draws on extensive experience with state and national education policy. She served as deputy chief of staff for Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin where she led efforts to support early childhood education, including winning competitive federal grants totaling $70 million and supporting the passage of universal prekindergarten. She currently serves as a trustee of University of Vermont Medical Center and the Vermont Council on Rural Development and was recently named a “Changemaker for Children” by Save the Children. Richards grew up in Newbury and now lives in Montpelier.

AAUW is a non-profit organization founded in 1881. Its mission is to advance gender equity for women and girls through research, education, and advocacy. The Middlebury Chapter, founded in 1922, meets once a month from September through May, works on mentoring with area college women and with middle school girls, and sponsors presentations open to the public. For more information about AAUW, visit aauw.org.  With questions about local AAUW activities, call Ann Straub (207-210-5563) or Liane Barrera (802-388-7421).