Birth to Three Turns 10

“Little short of a miracle” is how Joan Grabe describes what the Adirondack Birth to Three Alliance (BT3) has accomplished in just over a decade. Joan, an ACF fundholder and Trustee, was among the donors, advocates, and providers who, recognizing the importance of the first three years on a child’s development, came together to support our youngest Adirondackers back in 2014.

“The Adirondacks have always had dedicated people in health education and family support services who work hard to address the needs of young children and their families,” says Bob Frawley, another longtime BT3 advocate. “But, unfortunately, there were significant gaps in services and no regionwide approach to early childhood.”

The alliance now numbers more than 200 members across five counties. Thanks in part to their efforts, home visiting is now available to families across the region, additional emergency state funding for child care assistance has been secured, and everyone who is interested in supporting early childhood in the Adirondacks has a community of allies. 

“This was exactly what I and the others envisioned way back then,” says Joan.

BT3 Milestones

2014

Adirondack Community Foundation and partners, including Cloudsplitter, Chapel Hill, and the Grabe Family Foundations, commissioned a study to identify assets and gaps in the early childhood space.

2015

ACF convened study participants and other stakeholders, forming BT3 to support young children and their families in Clinton, Essex, and Franklin Counties and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe.

2016

Selected as one of three pilot sites in the state to distribute New Parent Kits.

Launched Small Grants for Small Children to support child care providers.

2018

Released a report establishing baseline data on how Adirondack infants and toddlers do in comparison to their peers in other areas of the state.

Expanded catchment area to include Hamilton and Warren County.

2020

Won a Pritzker Children’s Initiative grant — the only rural recipient.

Launched Stand Up for Child Care Adirondacks, a cross-sector group focused on advocacy and regional strategies.

2021

Engaged Hinman Straub Advisors to boost advocacy efforts in Albany.

Second report finds improvements in children receiving home visiting and attending quality-rated early childhood education programs.

2022

Advocated successfully for child care pipelines in Franklin, Essex, and Warren counties.

2023

Partnered with Children’s Trust Fund and parents from across the region to determine what parent leadership in BT3 would look like and how it would function.

Gave oral and written budget testimony before the New York Legislature.

2024

Launched Parent Advisory Council.

Conducted a comprehensive fiscal analysis of the prenatal to five system in the Adirondack region.

Developed northeastern shared services alliance to help child care providers access business tools and child care management software.

2025

Launched an informative new website: adirondackbt3.org.

Hosted the first Adirondack Early Childhood Advocacy day in Albany.

Up Next

Adirondack Birth to Three Alliance is transitioning to become a Help Me Grow NY system, combining the best of what we’ve built with a proven statewide and national model to build a true regional system that can last. We will share updates on our progress and welcome your engagement. Learn more at helpmegrowny.org.