Kassim Ibrahim: Champlain College Student with Lived Experiences

Kassim Ibrahim: Champlain College Student with Lived Experiences

Champlain College student Kassim joins Erin for a thoughtful conversation about the challenges of child care, and the importance of staying calm, grounded, and confident through them. Kassim shares his personal journey from Somalia to the United States, reflecting on culture, identity, and what it has meant to navigate child care while raising a young child. He opens up about moments of feeling different and not always like he belonged, and how those experiences have shaped who he is today. Through reflection and growth, Kassim describes a deep curiosity about life and a desire to better understand the path that brought him here. The takeaway is simple but powerful: tell your story—because everyone has one worth sharing.

Janet McLaughlin: A Leader in Children and Families

Janet McLaughlin, the eyes and ears of the Vermont Department of Children and Families. Making big time decisions in the best interest of littlest Vermonters and their families. A leader who is not afraid to take a stand for what matters, she does what she does out of a commitment to public service. Join Erin and Janet as they chat about all things child care, memorable commuting and carpool stories and most importantly, dinner-time decisions.

Zoe Kaslow: Naturalized Vermonter, Neighbor and Community Advocate

Join FCF's Erin Roche for a neighborly, on-the-road conversation with her neighbor and former colleague, Zoe Kaslow. Deeply rooted in her community, Zoe has served on numerous civic and nonprofit boards and brings both personal and professional connections to the world of child care. Together, Erin and Zoe catch up on all things child care, swap business insights, share carpool and commute stories, and—of course—talk dinner plans. Hop in for a ride with these two energized leaders as they blend real-life conversation with meaningful perspective.

May Newsletter 2026

Is your inbox swamped with emails and newsletters? Would you rather listen to what First Children's Finance Vermont has been up to? Use this episode to catch up on all of the happenings in Vermont's ECE world from April and a look into what’s to come for May. From business sustainability to updates from the field, your hosts Erin & Tess have a lot to say and reflect on this month. Tune in to this spirited version of the FCF VT monthly newsletter for the news you didn’t know you needed.

Rebecca Reese: The Intricacies of Human Interactions & More

Like Loretta Lynn, Rebecca is a real life coal miner’s daughter from West Virginia-but with a background in historic preservation and the many historic buildings in Vermont, it’s destiny that Rebecca ended up in Vermont. Join Erin in this entertaining and enlightening conversation with Rebecca as they chat all things family, early childhood education, the intricacies of human interaction and much more. Buckle up because this is an episode you don’t want to miss!