BENNINGTON — This spring, the Sunrise Family Resource Center will once again partner with the Vermont Arts Exchange to offer their Dads & Kids Create workshops. The group is designed for fathers and father-figures, and their children, to bond while creating art.

The group, formerly (and sometimes, still) known as the DADS Group or Dads Create, will meet for a total of six Tuesday evening sessions that begin on April 8 and run through May 13. All sessions will be held at the Vermont Arts Exchange location AT 48 Main Street in North Bennington from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Fathers and father-figures typically attend the first session alone to meet one another, establish a dialogue and camaraderie, get to know and feel comfortable in the Vermont Arts Exchange space and meet the staff that will be assisting, and discuss the expectations and details of the project.

After the first session, they are able to bring one school-aged child per week to the workshops.

“Typically, this program is geared more toward older children, where most of our other programs are geared towards children under the age of six,” said Tiffany Gaghich, parent-child center coordinator with Sunrise Family Resource Center. “It’s just because of the tools that they use at Vermont Arts Exchange; they’re not necessarily ‘young child friendly.’ If dads have more than one child, they can alternate weeks. Also, because of the model of this program, we try to keep [the group size] small.”

Gaghich said that the Sunrise Family Resource Center community had been looking for more opportunities for dads to have some type of enrichment activities with their kids with the goal of having a creative space for dads to spend quality time with their child. Another goal of the center is to foster a network of dads that can connect with one another outside of a project, creating a support system of their own.

“For over 25 years, we’ve been hosting various kinds of groups, and this partnership with Sunrise has sort of solidified,” said Matthew Perry of the Vermont Arts Exchange. “The partnership has really helped us focus on a more meaningful creation of the class by pulling together a dad facilitator, and the family meal experience, and the exhibition and presentation about the products we’re making.”

“Each class begins with dinner for the dads and kids in the studio,” explained Sarah Callan, grants communication specialist with Sunrise Family Resource Center. “For past sessions, Kevin’s in North Bennington has generously donated hot meals and salads for the group, and Ramunto’s has donated pizzas. Once dinner is done, kids and their dads get to creating art.”

The food, according to Gaghish, is coordinated by the Sunrise Family Resource Center.

Over the years, the groups have created a myriad of projects together. Some past projects include printmaking, rubber block printing, and creative home repairs.

Previous sessions from November and December 2024 focused on making holiday cards and prints with Vermont Arts Exchange artist Rhonda Ratray. This cardmaking endeavor was so successful that both Vermont Arts Exchange and Sunrise decided to print greeting cards featuring those designs, and produced several hundred copies of each card. Sets were given to the dads and their kids, and more were created for both organizations to keep for future use.

“We’re using them as thank you cards,” said Callan and Gaghich, each picking up a card, which were decorated in colorful images.

Perry emphasized the importance of this group in not only fostering closer relationships between fathers and their children, but in reigniting latent creativity, especially for the fathers. Creativity, Perry believes, is a part of who we are as human beings – and he believes that art has the power to connect and heal.

Perry stated that “kids are natural-born-artists,” and thus, they don’t typically hesitate when attempting to try new creative endeavors. Adults, however, often do hesitate. Some believe they are not able to “create art.”

“Many men attending these groups haven’t created art since high school or college, and for many, art isn’t a skill that they would have claimed to have,” explained Callan.

“Through this group, Matthew Perry has enjoyed witnessing men find that they are capable and creative. Spurred by their reignited creativity, dads have continued the art-making processes at home – making prints, drawings, sculptures, and other projects with their children. To mimic what they learned in class, one dad bought his child marbelizing art materials, inspired by Suminagashi, a Japanese paper marbling technique involving water and ink that creates swirling patterns on the page. Others have taken to upcycling household items and working with found objects for their at-home art projects.”

“In an ever fast-paced world, these dads have found a unique mode of bonding with their kids, one that nourishes both the soul and the mind, while creating lifelong memories that will stand the test of time,” Callan continued.

Sunrise was recently awarded a grant from the Arts & Social Cohesion Grant Program of the Vermont Community Foundation to continue this group. That makes participation free for those residing in Bennington County.

Looking forward to future groups, Perry wants to keep the classes fresh. He suggested possibly focusing a future session on ceramics as the Vermont Arts Exchange will soon be opening a new clay studio. Another option is to bring in a drummer for some classes to “mix up the rhythm.” He hopes to see the groups grow — and let the dads and their kids guide what kind of art projects they take on.

“Primarily, the group is housed at the Vermont Arts Exchange because we partner with them to offer this program,” said Gaghich. “And, they do a nice job.”

In the past, the Dad’s Group has exhibited and showcased the arts that they create during the workshops. The last arts project that they created, according to Perry, was a set of block printed greeting cards. The next Dad’s Group — the one scheduled to begin on April 8 — will focus on building and embellishing birdhouses with local Shaftsbury artist Lee Williams.

“The more we’re developing and expanding the creative potential of the community,” said Perry, “the more good things are coming out of this. And, expanding participation to ‘father-figures’ is also key. Boyfriends, grandfathers, stepdads — it’s been a valuable opportunity for father-like figures to engage with the children in their families.”

Perry noted that the traditional family is not emphasized in the project. What is emphasized is participation with the important child in their life. Thus, the group is not only limited to biological fathers. Any significant male figures, such as grandfathers, uncles, stepfathers, or other father-like figures, are welcome to attend with the child in their life.

“Sunrise is one of 15 parent child centers in the State of Vermont and, being part of that network, we are the parent child center for Bennington County,” said Gaghich, and Callen clarified that “Anyone in Bennington County is eligible for our services.”

Those interested in attending the upcoming Dads and Kids Create workshops at the Vermont Arts Exchange, should reach out to Gaghich at Sunrise by calling (802) 442-6934 or emailing rsvp@sunrisepcc.com.

Once the group is full, no more slots for that set of workshops will be open — but, Gaghich and Callan reassure, there will be more to come.

Gaghich noted that many of their past participants were “not necessarily in the Sunrise programming,” but heard about the program through word of mouth.

She recommends those interested in joining a future set of workshops follow the Sunrise Family Resource Center Facebook page to receive notifications for all of their upcoming projects.

Republican Gov. Phil Scott has signed an executive order allowing families with children under age 19 and “medically vulnerable” Vermonters who face eviction from hotel and motel rooms on April 1 to remain in the state’s General Assistance program through June 30.

Pregnant women in their third trimester or who will enter their third trimester between April 1 and June 30 are among those who qualify as “medically vulnerable.”

Scott’s executive order comes after weeks of squabbling between his administration and Democratic lawmakers about whether to extend emergency shelter services for all 1,439 households in the “Hotel-Motel” program until the end of June. Without additional funding, the program re-instates its summer weather 1,100 room, 80-day cap and begins exiting hundreds of Vermont households from hotels and motels on Monday.

“While I’ve been opposed to the Hotel-Motel program because it doesn’t serve those in the program well, I have also been clear that we have an obligation to protect children and Vermonters who are most vulnerable,” Scott said in a press release about on Friday afternoon. “This executive order does just that without unwinding the important progress we’ve made.”

Democrats, however, have argued that Vermont’s other “vulnerable” populations — including all pregnant women, veterans and victims of domestic violence — at risk of eviction this spring should be allowed to stay in the program for the next three months as well.

But Scott says Vermont needs to begin transitioning away from the “failed” hotel-motel program, which he has repeatedly criticized as both expensive for taxpayers and detrimental for clients. Scott has pointed to the 135 deaths that occurred between 2020 and 2024 in hotels and motels, lack of wrap around services for people struggling with substance use or mental illness and the housing of both “vulnerable and predatory populations” under the same roof as evidence for the program’s failure.

Additionally, Scott says he’s wants to conserve money in case the Trump administration pulls significant federal dollars from the state.

Republican senators backed Scott when they unanimously blocked Democrats’ attempt earlier on Friday to expedite a vote on the most recent version of this year’s budget adjustment act, which allocates “existing” money from the Department of Children and Families to extend emergency housing eligibility for every client through the summer. Scott is expected to veto the bill should the senate pass the budget adjustment act as it currently stands.

Where will exited hotel-motel clients go?

According to Beck, Scott’s administration is helping ensure available shelter at the following congregate shelters:

• Williston family shelter, which will continue to operate the rest of the year with help from a local provider assistance
• Waterbury family shelter, which will continue to provide shelter through mid-June to ensure stability for school children

Beck also the administration plans to expand “family shelter capacity with plans for permanent family shelters in Burlington, Rutland, Bennington, and Central Vermont,” extend and expand “Medical Respite capacity in the central Vermont and Chittenden County regions” and add an “an intensive recovery housing site for those who need an integrated model of housing and substance use treatment.”

Megan Stewart is a government accountability reporter for the Burlington Free Press. Contact her at mstewartyounger@gannett.com.

Since the beginning of the 2025 legislative session, lawmakers in both the House and Senate have been working on their counterproposal to Gov. Phil Scott’s sweeping plan to overhaul public education.

But it’s become clear that the two chambers are moving in very different directions. And disagreement over how many school districts Vermont should have — and how quickly that redistricting process should happen — could squelch any grand bargains over education reform this year.

House Democrats are preparing to advance legislation that would set new parameters for school district sizes, including a minimum enrollment of 4,000 students. But instead of drawing district boundaries themselves, they plan to ask a new subcommittee on the Commission of the Future of Public Education to take the summer and fall to propose three maps, which lawmakers would take up in the next legislative session.

The House’s slower and more deliberative approach in H.454 has won the support of major public education advocacy organizations, including the Vermont-NEA. But it has frustrated the governor — and the chair of the Senate’s education committee, who has already drafted an alternate redistricting proposal.

At a press conference Thursday, House Committee on Education Chair Peter Conlon defended his chamber’s approach. While it was “tempting” to act more hastily, he argued, “the chance of unintended consequences that would just have to be corrected and changed in the next session is too great.”

“We need people with the time and experience to assure, for example, that every Vermont student has access to a career and technical education center and that a district line doesn’t inadvertently stick a mountain range in the way,” the Cornwall Democrat said.

The Senate has not yet technically advanced legislation, and is waiting for the House to send over their bill. But Sen. Seth Bongartz, who chairs the Senate education committee, has already drafted a map which would carve the state into nine large governance structures: six supervisory districts and three supervisory unions. Supervisory unions act as umbrella school districts in Vermont, with one centralized administrative office and superintendent overseeing independent districts with their own school boards.

The Bennington Democrat said he’s open to revisions to his map — but bullish on a timeline that redraws district lines this year.

“Not getting that done this year does set the process back significantly, and that’s concerning,” Bongartz said.

Instead of operating public schools, some districts in Vermont currently offer families vouchers, or tuition, which can be used at the public or private school of their choice. Because a school district cannot offer vouchers and operate a school, choice has historically presented an obstacle to regional consolidation. Bongartz’s somewhat complicated map is an attempt to solve this problem of choice in Vermont’s complicated educational landscape — mostly by much more lightly consolidating areas in which choice districts exist in large numbers.

Bongartz’s proposal would somewhat limit choice, and eliminate it entirely in some places, including Grand Isle County. But his plan is largely crafted to preserve much of the status-quo, particularly in the towns that have traditionally sent their students to the state’s four historic academies — Burr and Burton Academy, St. Johnsbury Academy, Thetford Academy and Lyndon Institute.

Bongartz, who once sat on the board of trustees at Burr and Burton, said his map sought to maintain tuitioning practices where they were “integral to the delivery system of education in Vermont.”

At least one key constituency has made clear they do not consider the Bongartz map to be the blueprint to a grand bargain.

“We are not interested in gerrymandering to preserve vouchers,” Darren Allen, a spokesperson for the Vermont-NEA, wrote in a text.

The House’s proposal, for now, is silent on where vouchers would continue to exist. Conlon said in an interview that he wanted to preserve tuitioning where existing private schools are basically the only option — including around the historic academies. But the choice debate, he said, should be kept for next year, when he thinks lawmakers should review their redistricting options.

Scott, meanwhile, says he wants new district boundaries now, not next year.

“We were elected to make tough decisions. It’s our problem to solve and our time to solve it,” he said in a statement Thursday, adding that he would call lawmakers back to Montpelier if he didn’t think their work was done.

“I will not support adjourning this session without a bill to transition to a new funding system, establish a new governance structure that unlocks transformation, and includes a specific implementation timeline,” Scott wrote.

The Vermont Republican Party is already attempting to capitalize on the moment to recruit candidates for 2026. In a press release Friday, Vermont GOP chair Paul Dame decried House Democrats’ “surrender on education reform.”

“If Democrats continually refuse to lead on this issue, Republicans will pick up the slack,” he wrote.