Berkshire Country Day School Announces Teacher for New 2-Year-Old Program

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STOCKBRIDGE, Mass. — Julia Kreilkamp will join the Berkshire Country Day School faculty as the lead preschool teacher for its Reggio-Emilia-inspired 2-year-old class for the program's inaugural year in Fall 2017.

Kreilkamp has more than 20 years of teaching experience, most recently for 10 years as the pre-kindergarten teacher at the Middletown Springs School in Vermont, where she developed several new programs. She received a B.A. from Macalester College and a M.A. in Elementary Education from College of St. Joseph. Of special note, Kreilkamp received the University of Vermont's Outstanding Teacher Award in 2010.

Ms. Kreilkamps's strengths as an educator and communicator will be fundamental to establishing the program, which has been added for the 2017-2018 year in response to growing demand, expanding the school's current 3- and 4-year-old early education. Kreilkamp has been designing the new 2-year-olds classroom and planning for the "investigation stations" that are a hallmark of the Reggio Emilia approach.


"I love getting to know each child individually and presenting opportunities to stretch them in their exploration, play, and learning. They never fail to impress me with how boldly they meet new challenges, and with each step, their confidence and abilities grow," she said.

Berkshire Country Day School is the only preschool in the area currently offering the Reggio Emilia style of early childhood education, which embraces children's natural intellectual inclinations and innate abilities and fosters these dispositions and talents. Today, the core beliefs of Reggio Emilia have been embraced worldwide, and the approach is considered by many to be one of the best and most innovative, and one that is most consistent with how young children learn.

The new program at BCD will expand current offerings and enroll up to 10 children aged 24-35 months, who will be fully incorporated into the school’s intentional, independent, and inspired community of learners. The preschoolers will also enjoy ready access to the many resources of BCD's historic 27-acre campus — from an adjacent playground to the new Kevin Hirt Library and Learning Commons and Kim and James Taylor Music/Performance Space. For more information, visit the website.


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Central Berkshire School Officials OK $35M Budget

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School Committee approved a $35 million budget for fiscal 2025 during its meeting on Thursday.
 
Much of the proposed spending plan is similar to what was predicted in the initial and tentative budget presentations, however, the district did work with the Finance subcommittee to further offset the assessments to the towns, Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis said. 
 
"What you're going see in this budget is a lower average assessment to the towns than what you saw in the other in the tentative budget that was approved," she said. 
 
The fiscal 2025 budget is $35,428,892, a 5.56 percent or $1,867,649, over this year's $33,561,243.
 
"This is using our operating funds, revolving revenue or grant revenue. So what made up the budget for the tentative budget is pretty much the same," Director of Finance and Operations Gregory Boino said.
 
"We're just moving around funds … so, we're using more of the FY25 rural aid funds instead of operating funds next year."
 
Increases the district has in the FY25 operating budget are from active employee health insurance, retiree health insurance, special education out-of-district tuition, temporary bond principal and interest payment, pupil transportation, Berkshire County Retirement contributions, and the federal payroll tax. 
 
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