Helping Our Children Succeed

Do you know that the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care has a team of five early childhood experts helping to “build brains” in libraries and museums throughout Berkshire County? These experts are known as family engagement specialists, and they provide a wide range of learning opportunities for families and children - from the time they are born until they enter school.

The programs they offer range from preschool gym time to story times to STEAM activities for little scientists and everything in between. For example, in partnership with South Berkshire Kids, the Berkshire Museum takes some of their most popular programs on the road to south county locations, introducing young minds to reptiles and small animals. Miss Jess invites the children in attendance to touch them, as she cautions, “This reptile is small, so you need to pet him with just one finger, very gently. He likes to be stroked from his head down to his tail.”  As each child patiently waits his or her turn, with a pointed finger and an inquiring mind, they make observations and ask questions - “He is soft, and really cold,” and “Why does he have spots?” 

Learning happens everywhere, and we all want our children to succeed. To learn more about these and other early learning programs, please visit our website. By supporting families and promoting early literacy, we can all help our kids arrive at school ready to learn!

Karen Vogel
Director of Community Impact

FREE play groups offer so much more than play!

Did you know…that talking to babies right from the start and carrying on conversations with young children can result in a higher IQ, verbal comprehension, and language processing for children up to 10 years later!  Results of a 10-year longitudinal study by Lena researchers further shares that two-way conversations with children from 18-24 months are particularly important.

Berkshire United Way’s aspirational goals include making sure every child in Berkshire County enters kindergarten with the skills needed to be successful in the years to follow. Berkshire United Way partners and supports many programs that foster parent-child relationships, increase knowledge of child development, and help connect families with community resources.

One such program, the Coordinated Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) supports five regional community-based programs that promote family engagement. Each region hosts a variety of monthly literacy-based activities designed for young children and their families. Recognizing parents as a child’s first teacher, parents can work with their children to build on strengths, encourage creativity, and have fun meeting new friends. FREE for all families, programs offer playgroups, parent education classes and workshops, and connections to local resources. Some programs have free diapers, a clothing exchange, and most offer monthly family events.

A participant in a play group held at the The Family Center in North Adams, expresses her inner artist!

Check out the links below to find a playgroup near you and please share this blog with a family you know!

The Family Center North Adams

South Berkshire Kids

Central Berkshire Regional School District CFCE

Pittsfield CFCE

Community Health Program CHP Playgroups

Talk to you again soon -
Stephanie

Coordinator of Early Childhood Development

Community rallies to prepare children for kindergarten

Do you remember how you felt the first time a school bus rolled to a stop and you bid farewell to your backpack-bearing child?  Perhaps you were biting your lip to stop your tears from spilling over as butterflies flitted about inside.

Every parent wants their child to have a great experience at school – to learn new things, make new friends, and remain excited about going every single day. After all, you’ve prepared for this day for quite some time. But did you know school success begins long before that first day? Pittsfield Promise, a Berkshire United Way-led coalition made up of community members from various community sectors, is committed to helping every child get the skills they need to succeed.

On April 6^th, eighteen tables staffed by 20 volunteers from local agencies that work with young children, gathered in the community room at the Berkshire Athenaeum for the sixth annual School Readiness Fair. When the doors opened at 10:30 in the morning, over 15 families were lined up, ready to engage in fun, educational activities designed to foster kindergarten readiness skills.

Activities—all of which can be replicated at home—included making puppets and retelling stories, creating buildings and animals with household items and tape, using bingo markers to trace letters, and rolling dice to identify numbers. Highlights of the event included using Ozobots (tiny robots) used to learn simple coding, riding a school bus for the first time and participating in a free developmental screening called Ages and Stages.

Kelly Bevan McIlquham of Berkshires Macaroni kids helps a young child trace letters with a bingo marker. This was just one of several activities offered at the recent School Readiness Fair held at the Berkshire Athenaeum.

Completing the Ages and Stages screening helps children, aged birth to five, get the best start in life. This simple developmental questionnaire asks you about skills most kids have at that age, to help determine if your child is on track. If s/he needs a little extra practice in a specific area, a Child and Family Community Engagement Coordinator will identify activities you can do to help set your child up for success. 

To schedule a free screening, call Jenn Faulconer at 413.441.0974. After the screening is completed, activities will be suggested to support your child’s growth at home and in the community, creating a path to school readiness.

Stephanie Adornetto

Coordinator of Early Childhood Development