BCC Awarded Early Education Grant

12:21PM / Thursday, October 14, 2021Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Commonwealth's Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) has awarded Berkshire Community College a Career Pathways Grant totaling $257,331 for the 2022 fiscal year.

The grant funds tuition, fees and support for those pursuing a degree in higher education while working in the field of early education and care.

The grant is designed to reduce barriers to enrollment and completion by providing coherent and stackable courses for credentialing and degree attainment. It also addresses challenges in the early education field, including certified staffing shortages.

Funding supports:

Educator enrollment and retention
Completion of courses, certificates and degrees
Smooth transfer for students who choose to continue their education at a four-year university.

"This grant changes lives through coursework and through transferable skills that impact the whole person. We have seen students achieve their academic, professional and personal dreams because of the help these funds provided," said Alicia Ginsberg, Early Childhood Career Pathway Grant Coordinator at BCC. "Their growth is truly inspiring."

Recipients of grant funds at BCC have earned teacher certification, lead teacher certification and director certification.

The EEC Career Pathways Grant has supported early childhood educators at BCC since 2019. In just three years, the grant has supported 160 students who completed a total of 1,269 credits.

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Second Streets Second Chances Awarded $85K for Workforce Re-Entry Program

By Brittany Polito03:00PM / Monday, September 28, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A local program for formerly incarcerated citizens seeking a technical career received $85,000 from the state.

On Thursday, the Healey-Driscoll administration announced $2.25 million in Re-entry Workforce Development Demonstration Program grants to 12 organizations that will provide job training, career support, and employment opportunities to 445 formerly incarcerated individuals returning to their communities.

Second Street Second Chances was allocated $84,712 to partner with the Berkshire County Sheriff's Office to offer a training program to 12 returning citizens with a focus on the advanced manufacturing and engineering industry.

The funds will be used to put 12 returning citizens through a training program with a focus on the advanced manufacturing and engineering industry. Successful program graduates will be placed in manufacturing and welding roles at Onyx Specialty Papers and Hi-Tech Mold and Tool.

The program was one of 12 awardees, a majority on the eastern side of the state; Greenfield also saw funding.

"When people return to their communities, they should have a real opportunity to get a good job, support their families and build a stable future," said Gov. Maura Healey in a press release.

"These grants connect people with the training and experience they need to succeed and with employers that are ready to hire."

Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said successful reentry means making sure people have the tools and opportunities to move forward, and these programs bring together community organizations, public safety partners, and employers to connect people directly with training and jobs.

Launched in 2022, Second Street Second Chances' mission is to provide a central point of access for medical and mental health, housing, job training, legal services, and more for a successful reentry into the community.

Early this year, the nonprofit saw an $89,000 grant from the program. Executive Director Lindsay Cornwell at the time said this funding allowed 2nd Street to expand its mission of supporting returning citizens in Berkshire County through meaningful workforce opportunities and a pathway toward sustainable employment.

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