How are the children?

Come away with me, if you will, across these Berkshire mountains and streams.  Come with me across oceans and borders, to the heart of Africa to the lands of Kenya and Tanzania, to the Maasai tribe, renowned as one of the world’s last warrior cultures.  I imagine you’d appreciate learning a greeting to use upon meeting our hosts so that you can make a connection with this fabled tribe.  Are you ready?  The greeting for “Hello, how are you,” is “Kesserian Ingera,” which loosely translated, means “And how are the children?”  Not hello, what’s up. Not I’m fine, thanks, and you?  Not your children, or mine, but the children.

The Chapter One early childhood development coalition has been asking this question, how are the children?  We come together out of a shared concern that 56% of children in the southern Berkshires are not reading proficiently by 3^rd grade.  Seventy-four percent of students who struggle to succeed in reaching this marker are far more likely to continue to struggle in school and in life.  We are a community who is prepared to implement strategies to improve literacy.  In fact, the first strategy developed by the Chapter One coalition was to improve the well-being and access to early learning for our kids, with the goal of ensuring each and every one of our children arrives at school ready for success.

How will we know if we are making a difference?  How will we know we are improving our children’s readiness for school?  How will we know what strategies are working?  In effect, we are now asking together, “How are the children?” To hold these goals and strategies in place, the Chapter One coalition has worked with all six south county school districts.  On April 30^th, eighteen teachers from five school districts spent the first of three evenings together to learn how to measure kindergarten readiness.  

Educators from Morris, Lee, Muddy Brook, New Marlborough, Richmond and Undermountain Elementary Schools gather to learn about the Brigance screening tool. Educators will use the screening tool to collectively measure kindergarten readiness in southern Berkshire County. 

In the weeks and months to come, we will learn important information about our children.  So, friends and neighbors, please join us, in greeting one another, in this ongoing dialogue of this most important question, “How are the children?”  Our futures, yours and mine, are dependent on us having this conversation, whether on Main Street, at the doctor’s office, in our parks, houses of worship, and places of learning. 

Amy Taylor

South County Community Liaison

Creating a world of wonder

Yesterday, a child came out to wonder.  He caught a dragonfly inside a jar.

Fearful when the sky was full of thunder, and tearful at the falling of a star.

So begins The Circle Game, a song by Joni Mitchell about growing up. 

For some families, the early years are full of this sort of curiosity and wonder; filled with summer days with skinned knees, berry stained fingers, buckets of minnows, jars of fireflies, campfires with sing-alongs, or hot dogs at the ball park. Chapter One, a Berkshire United Way-led coalition, is working with community partners to ensure that all families, no matter how stormy the skies may be in the struggle for stability, have access to experiences that build connection and curiosity.

We invite families to join us on the journey to kindergarten at our upcoming Get Ready for K Day, on Saturday, April 7 from 1 to 3 p.m. at Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington. Hosted in partnership with CHP Family Services and South Berkshire Kids, we’ll launch the Word Project’s 1^st Annual Kinder Art Show, featuring art work by students in Sunshine Preschool, Head Start and CHP’s Play and Learn group.

Families who attend will have an opportunity to practice carrying their lunch trays as part of the lunch tray relays with South Berkshire Kids.  They’ll also be able to obtain information about kindergarten registration from local schools, play and learn with the Parent Child Home Program, and learn how to tell stories and watch them come to life with The Word Project’s Live Actors!

Michelle Hayden, playgroup leader for South Berkshire Kids at the 1^st annual Get Ready for K Day on April 8, 2017.  Interactive activities build social, emotional, cognitive and physical connections.

Together, we can ensure each kindergarten class arrives at school ready to learn, and begin their wonder-filled journey. As The Circle Game says, the years quickly spin by, and yes, some dreams may lose grandeur coming true. But we can ensure our community is one where all children have learned how to use their sense of wonder to overcome their fears amidst the thunder storms of life, so that together, we make new dreams, and plenty of them.

 

Amy Taylor
South County Community Liaison

Helping neighbors in need

There are times in life when we all need concrete support to adapt to changes or help us weather a storm.  Our friends and community partners, Community Health Programs (CHP) at 444 Stockbridge Road, in Great Barrington provide a number of supports including WIC, playgroups, and a clothing exchange just to name a few. 

Even through the cold winter months, CHP hosts The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts on the first Tuesday of every month, from noon – 1 p.m. The Food Bank distributes free, fresh and non-perishable food for any and all community members.  Here’s how it works.  A group of community members arrive to set up tables to offer food or other services.  At noon, the Western Mass. Food Bank truck arrives.  Community members, young and old, can fill a box with food as they move across the parking lot area of CHP.  It is typical for community members to leave with a box of fresh carrots, apples, potatoes, onions, squash, oats and even fresh bread.  Many times, Chapter One, south county’s early childhood literacy coalition, is on hand to provide free children’s books too.  Taking the time to read together is a key ingredient to life-long health and resilience!

From left to right: Jess Maloney, Amy Taylor and Michelle Hayden attend the Western Mass Food Bank on a cool winter’s day. Jess and Michelle, both from South Berkshire Kids, provide information/resources to families with young children living in Southern Berkshire County. 

Upcoming Food Bank distributions will take place on the following dates:

Tuesday, January 2^nd, from noon to 1 p.m.

Tuesday, February 6^th from noon to 1 p.m.

Tuesday, March 6^th from noon to 1 p.m.

Tuesday, April 3^rd from noon to 1 p.m.

A heartfelt thanks to the staff and volunteers at CHP who host the Food Bank with efficiency and community spirit each and every month.  To learn more about this initiative, including opportunities to participate or volunteer, please contact me via email at Ataylor@berkshireunitedway.org.

Amy Taylor

South County Community Liaison

Learning how one word leads to many words

Our mission at Berkshire United Way is to ignite the collective power of individuals and organizations to build a stronger community together. Through the Chapter One: Our Towns, Our Kids, Our Future early childhood development and literacy initiative, we are fulfilling this mission with The Word Project. Together, we’re determined to ensure that every child arrives to kindergarten ready for success in school and life.

The Word Project was created to ensure children acquire the language skills necessary to be successful. Children need lots of connected, play filled experiences with words and stories. On Sunday, September 24^th, parents and grandparents, volunteers and business leaders, children and youth, storytellers and actors kicked off The Word Project at The Triplex in Great Barrington. Children wrote or dictated stories with our partners in the lobby then the Word Project’s Improv Troupe (Rebecca Honig, Josh Briggs, and Rachel Seigal, with support from musician Sunwha Reiner) brought them to life with music, and each young author was celebrated with a round of applause. Our community partners at Flying Cloud joined us with a robotics activity, and Head Start teachers did face painting.

The Word Troupe comprised of actors Rebecca Honig, Josh Briggs, Rachel Seigal, and musician Sunhwa Reiner rehearse prior to The Word Project event on Sunday, September 24, 2017.  The troupe brought children’s stories to life before their very eyes.

This month learn all about produce at Big Y, Price Chopper and the WIC office in Great Barrington.  We look forward to sharing our children’s stories at the next Word Project family event.  We are changing our little corner of the world for the better, and we’re having fun while we do!