Child Care of Berkshires Planning Growth in Coming Years
President and CEO of Child Care of the Berkshires Amy Hall talks about the goals of the organization and payback in joy on the children's faces.
That's on top of the growth it's seen this past year.
"This has been a year of growth for child care at the Berkshires," said President and CEO Amy Hall at Tuesday's annual meeting at the Greylock Glen Outdoor Center. "It's always a year of growth when you work with young kids, because they're growing all the time, and we love getting to watch them grow, and the families grow just as much as the children."
The child-care currently has 33 children in Magic Seasons Preschool and 106 in the Monument Square Early Childhood Center at its home at Sarah T. Haskins School in North Adams. Nearly 23,000 diapers were distributed from the Family Center, 52 families were served by the Parenting Partnership and 87 percent preschool parents participated in the Play Learn Connect family program.
"We have grown and opened new family child-care homes in Berkshire County, which is definitely a goal that we had set up for ourselves," Hall said. "It's also been a year of learning. Fifteen staff members, many of them, most of them, who are working full time, have also been taking college classes at night. ...
"That's really dedication to learning. Two of those staff members earned degrees this year."
The nonprofit's strategic plan developed with input from staff, board members and community members laid out a number of objectives for the coming years including recruiting and retaining a diverse, well-trained workforce; fostering more awareness of the programs available at CCB; enhancing programs to meet the community's needs; investing in capital projects and securing long-term financial stability; and engaging in advocacy to support funding and policies that benefit high-quality child care.
Also critical is raising community awareness of the opportunities for children and families through CCB's programs.
"They always say we're the best-kept secret," said Hall. "We don't want to be."
Two speakers provided testimony on the effectiveness of CCB's programs and partnerships.
Richard Alcombright, in a pre-recorded video, spoke of how he became part of the grandparent-raising-grandchildren club. His granddaughter Melania has thrived during her time at CCB, he said, from infancy to now the afterschool program.
"She's been through each and every classroom, given a healthy and positive moral code, instilled empathy, encouraged good citizenship and given her a strong sense of self," he said, expanding on Melania had told him skin is just a cover for the body and its color doesn't matter. "This story really sums up all you folks do at CCB each and every day.
"You don't watch kids. You grow them."
Tanya Wilson-Malloy, a longtime daycare operator in the CCB network, testified to the quality programs and care that she and her follow providers offer the area's children. She spoke of individual providers and their expertise in navigating grants, addressing social and emotional needs, and hosting science and technology programs. One who decorates her whole yard for childrens' enjoyment during holidays, another who basically has a petting zoo and yet another who shares tips and advice on TikTok.
"So many of our providers have degrees and certifications. That they choose this path because they love what they do and they love the kids," she said. "We have providers who sit on local town boards. We have providers who sit on local sports boards, PTGs — oh, my goodness, I could go on — all to ensure that continuum from the community, from the early ages right on up. They volunteer their time for the betterment of our community as a whole."
This group has created a network of friendships and camaraderie and help in times of need, said Wilson-Malloy.
"They are there every day with words of encouragement, with laughs, with recipes, with memes, with tiktoks, personal stories, and just a listening ear, because we are alone out there, and we need each other, and we need CCB," she said. "We don't get the pat on the back like you would with a regular job. So we have that support from CCB, and because of CCB, we have that support with one another."
Child Care in the Berkshires partners with other local early education and child-care facilities including the North Adams Public Schools and Hoosac Valley Regional School District.
"We shared trainings with both of those schools so that we could align our curriculum, so that when kids go from our preschool program to their kindergarten they are having the same they've had the same or similar experiences," she said.
Hall said the organization had first approached North Adams about partnering on the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative grant and weren't sure of the response.
The response was that North Adams school immediately pulled together at team. Hall presented a certificate to retiring Superintendent Barbara Malkas and her team for their "outstanding collaboration."
The annual meeting also recognized departing board members Alison Bost and Tracy Allen, and Anne Guest, who is ending her term as chair but staying on the board. Staff members were recognized for their years of service, including Finance Director Sharon Pessolano, who is retiring after nearly 40 years with the organization.
State Rep. John Barrett III says the state will step up on child care and that the Healthy Initiatives Program will be funded next year.
State Rep. John Barrett III pledged that early child care education would not be forgotten on Beacon Hill.
"As a former elementary school teacher, I was a little slow in learning how important it was," he said. "We saw it at the beginning with Head Start and the feds. It's expensive, but you know what? The speaker said again this year, it's going back in the budget. It will be there."
But the Healthy Incentives Program, which provides $40 to $80 a month for families on food benefits to buy at farmers markets has been reduced to $20.
"What really angers me about politics sometimes is that we have a $62 billion budget for the state of Massachusetts, and all they needed was $10 million more when they ran out of money halfway through the year to keep the program at the level that it was at," the representative said. "I can assure you of next year's budget that the HIP program will be fully funded."
He told those in audience to make their voices known so lawmakers remember the kids across Massachusetts.
"[They] need the support of so many programs that have been cut, especially at the federal level," he said. "It's very scary ... I've been in politics for 50 years. I've never ever seen anything like this."
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