Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation Awards Final Grant of Northwest Corner Daycare Initiative

June 2, 2010

GREAT BARRINGTON, MA—Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation today announced the award of a final $19,000 grant for its Northwest Corner Day Care Initiative, bringing the total amount dedicated to increasing the quality of learning for area childcare centers to nearly $160,000 over five years.

In 2006, Berkshire Taconic, with the financial commitment of an anonymous donor, implemented the Northwest Connecticut Daycare Initiative, a unique training program for staff and board members of the six childcare centers in Canaan, Falls Village, Sharon, Salisbury, Cornwall and Winsted. The program’s goal has been to bolster the long-term health of the centers, which serve a total of more than 350 young children and are important resources for their communities. In addition to advancing child development in social-emotional, fine motor, language, literacy, and math skills, area childcare centers contribute to the social and economic stability of our community by enabling working parents to maintain their productivity with the assurance that their children are in safe, nurturing and educational settings.

Despite their proven contributions to our communities, childcare centers in Connecticut face a number of serious threats. These include high labor costs, limitations on fees they can charge, as well as high staff and child turnover. Long term financial health requires strong governance and management.

Berkshire Taconic program director Maeve O’Dea said, “We have a number of programs in place that address issues of governance, management, strategic planning and other areas important to long-term sustainability. But we were particularly concerned about the precarious state of the northwest corner’s childcare centers, which have all been negatively affected by cuts in state funding, declining populations and limited opportunities for staff training.”

Through the program, consultants from the Education Connection in Litchfield assessed each center’s management and provided professional coaching and training to address issues identified by board and staff. In addition, the centers received funding for staff training and to pursue accreditation from National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The centers also used the funds for staff certification, hiring new teachers, upgrading equipment and facilities, expanding hours of care and other important improvements.

Fran Chapell, director of the Canaan Child Care Center said, “We are grateful to Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation for its vision and leadership in supporting early childhood programs in our area. The Daycare Initiative helped our center achieve NAEYC accreditation for the first time, improved the quality of care and education we can offer our children and helped establish a wonderful and collaborative connection with other area centers.”

The goal of this final segment of the Initiative is to increase the quality of learning for all three and four year olds in the Northwest Corner through teamwork between parents and preschool teachers. All parents in the Northwest Corner will have the opportunity to participate in events offered to enhance their understanding of child development and encouraging engagement with schools. The centers’ staff and parents will participate in a comprehensive training program and enrichment activities in drama, film, dance and nature to round out their educational experience. Activities will include parent workshops, professional development and coaching for teachers, and intensive training for daycare center directors and their boards.

Sue Vivian, consultant for the Education Connection said, “The Daycare Initiative has fostered an increase in program quality and sustainability for northwest childcare centers. Another wonderful outcome has been the development of a strong network of child care directors. These individual directors have formed a team that has passion, strength, knowledge, and energy to take on the work of the future. The Foundation has nurtured the seed with a little water and sunlight and now the oak tree is beginning to grow straight and leaf out.”

Berkshire Taconic president Jennifer Dowley stated, “Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation is committed to building strong communities. Good community life begins with young children who are ready to learn when they start school. Child care centers are our early childhood education programs. Research shows that if our children start their lives well, they become active and responsible citizens. Supporting early child care programs is one way we can ensure strong communities for the future.”

Contact us for more information about Berkshire Taconic’s Northwest Corner Daycare Initiative, and other programs that assist nonprofit organizations.

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation was founded in Salisbury, CT in 1987. Since that time, Berkshire Taconic has distributed over $10 million to benefit residents of the Northwest Corner of Connecticut through scholarships and grants for programs in the arts and education, health and human services, and environmental protection. Berkshire Taconic is the community foundation for Northwest Litchfield County, CT, Northeast Dutchess County and Columbia County, NY, and Berkshire County, MA, building stronger communities and improving the quality of life for everyone in its region. Berkshire Taconic is a 501 (c)(3) charitable organization.