Editor’s note: This commentary is by Rick Davis, president and co-founder of the Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children, and its CEO, Aly Richards.

[B]y separating immigrant children from families at our border and containing children in isolation from their parents with no clear plan for reunion, the federal administration shows a callous disregard for healthy early childhood development. Sacrificing children’s mental and physical wellbeing is not an acceptable practice for this country.

The science is clear and resounding: the experiences children are exposed to in their earliest years are literally built into their rapidly developing brains and bodies — for better or worse. The American Academy of Pediatrics clearly states: “the people most affected by a policy of parental separation are children.” The fact that the children at the border are not American does not obviate the immorality of jeopardizing their healthy development.

This is why, without hesitation, the Permanent Fund for Vermont’s Children joined with the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative and more than 200 philanthropic institutions nationwide in signing the Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees statement in support of compassionate policies: “Policies that recognize our global interdependence, that honor our tradition of welcoming those seeking refuge and a better life, and that keep families together will make our communities stronger, safer, and more prosperous.”

And it’s why we demand the Department of Homeland Security immediately stop detaining these children and return them to the security of their families.

At the Permanent Fund, children are at the core of our mission and are the heart of our family. We employ parents and grandparents of 82 children and we work with hundreds of child care providers responsible for the health and wellbeing of thousands of Vermont’s youngest children. We all understand a caregiver’s charge to ensure children are given every opportunity to succeed, free from trauma. We are working to build a sustainable early care and learning system that supports the healthy development of Vermont’s youngest children to give them the best future possible.

Children are our promise for a fair, compassionate, better world. They have infinite potential but only if we give them a chance.