Berkshire Museum Announces STEAM Programs for Preschool-Age Children

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Museum announced a partnership with the Pittsfield Coordinator Family and Community Engagement (CFCE) Grant, funded by the Department of Early Education and Care, and in collaboration with Berkshire County HeadStart. 
 
This collaboration aims to bring enriching and accessible programming to families with preschool-aged children through the WeeMuse STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) program at no cost.  
 
The program follows a theme-based approach where families engage in a variety of activities at 5 discovery stations, each representing Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. Each discovery station will include clear directions and a "What my child is learning" section, making concrete connections to The Department of Early Education and Care standards and curriculum guidelines. Families will receive a take-home packet at the end of each session with extension activities they can do at home. 
 
"The Berkshire Museum is excited to collaborate once again with Berkshire County Headstart to provide free educational opportunities to our littlest learners," said Jesse Kowalski, Berkshire Museum's Chief Curator.
 
The WeeMuse STEAM program runs January 17 and 31, February 14 and 28, March 13 and 27, April 10 and 24, and May 8 and 22 in Berkshire Museum's second-floor classroom spaces. 

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Berkshire United Way to Massachusetts: Early-Learning Educators Need Better Wages

By Katherine von Haefen Guest Column
As reported in iBerkshires, state education officials met with Western Massachusetts childcare and early education advocates at Berkshire Community College recently. I had the opportunity to share the following testimony on behalf of Berkshire United Way and our community partners. 
 
Early childhood education provides tremendous benefits to our region. High-quality child care dramatically influences brain development and the future health and success for children in school and life, as well as provides a safe and secure space for our youngest community members so their parents or caregivers can work and provide for their families. 
 
Berkshire United Way has invested in improving early childhood development opportunities in the Berkshires for decades. We fund high-quality nonprofit child-care centers that provide slots for income-constrained families. We also support the sector by co-hosting monthly child-care director meetings to work on shared challenges and collectively propose solutions. We advocate for early childhood education and have a great partner in this work, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier. 
 
Staffing is a key component of high-quality care. The research shows that skilled and consistent educators in a classroom create long-lasting change for children. However, wages are stagnant and frequently do not provide educators with basic financial stability. We often hear that educators have left the field because they are unable to make their finances work. Wages need to improve to better reflect the expertise and indelible impact teachers have in the field. 
 
When we look specifically at our region, our data is concerning. 
 
As Berkshire County emerges from the pandemic, we are struggling with transportation, affordable housing and lack of mental health resources, much like the rest of the state. We are also seeing a rise in economically challenged households. 
 
After nearly 10 years of decline, Berkshire County has experienced a significant jump in income inequality, now exceeding the state and national trends and far above comparable counties, according to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission. Over half of our population are "economically challenged," meaning they are working but struggling to make ends meet. A single parent with a school-aged child needs between $70,000 and $80,000 in income and public benefits just to meet their basic needs. 
 
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