History

Puppets in Education began in 1982 as Champlain Valley Kids on the Block (CVKOB) in Burlington, Vermont, through the inspiration of a volunteer group of teachers and parents from the Ira Allen Early Essential Education Center. The troupe performed locally addressing four disability awareness topics for children in grades K-4 (Cerebral Palsy, Blindness, Deafness and Down Syndrome). In 1989 the organization received it’s tax-exempt status.

In the same spirit that inspired it’s beginnings, CVKOB continued adding programs to meet crucial community needs: Physical and Sexual Abuse Prevention; Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention; Cultural Diversity; Children’s Mental Health and other important topics.

As new programs were added, their geographic regions expanded as well. In 2000 the organization moved out of volunteers’ homes and into it’s current office, changing it’s name to Kids on the Block-Vermont (KOBVT) to reflect it’s statewide outreach.

Then, in September 2009, the board of directors voted to once more expand programming to include Autism Spectrum Disorders. As a result, they created an organization that would encompass both current and new programs: Puppets in Education (PiE). PiE now includes Kids on the Block-Vermont and Friend 2 Friend Programs-Vermont.