PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire United Way kicked off its annual campaign with a focus on early childhood education as a key economic driver for the community. 

 

On Wednesday, board members, supporters, and beneficiaries gathered at the Country Club of Pittsfield to mark the nonprofit's yearly fundraising campaign.  BUW works to help families access financial mobility, ensuring young people have a strong foundation, and strengthening residents' quality of life. 

 

"Berkshire United Way is here to support our community, and too many of our community members, our friends and neighbors, are frankly struggling," said Katherine von Haefen, interim president and CEO. 

 

"According to [Berkshire Regional Planning Commission], about 53 percent of Berkshire households are struggling financially. This is compounded by our current federal government rapidly restructuring and reducing our safety net of food, health care, and critical supports.

 

"So, bottom line, we all have work to do to help increase our resiliency muscle so that Berkshire County can weather the current storm we're in, and that's where Berkshire United Way comes in." 

 

She explained that BUW sees early childhood care as a strong entry point to building that muscle, and a "key" economic driver.  

 

Last year, funded partners served 20,000 people in the community. 

 

Of that, 4,200 young children achieved milestones in social-emotional development and language, and 1,300 people received an increase in their wages, advanced in their careers, or received a new license, certificate, or credential. 

 

"Parents and Caregivers can't work or be effective employees without quality child care. Children also need quality environments to become school-ready and be able to enter kindergarten, ready to learn," von Haefen added. 

 

"I think the other key piece is just how our early childhood interacts with our strategic priorities of household stability, career and school readiness, and mental health. Bottom line, communities benefit from a robust, well-funded, high-quality early learning system." 

 

Berkshire County Head Start Executive Director Brett Random reported that BUW funding has allowed over 250 children to have greater access to mental health resources, thirteen preschool classrooms are more equipped with learning tools, and 85 Head Start staff benefited from professional development opportunities. 

 

Random's remarks centered around funding and partnership.  She cited federal funding cuts put forward by the Trump administration and stressed the importance of working together in the face of uncertainty. 

 

"As many of you know, Berkshire County Head Start relies heavily on federal funding, and recently, we have faced some adversity, and we will continue to face challenges in the coming months," she said. 

 

"During these times, it's been so important for me as a leader to have a space to connect with other leading agencies like mine in the community, because Berkshire United Way has created a space for executive leaderships to talk about the struggles, brainstorm solutions, and simply check in with one another. We know that we're not doing this work alone." 

 

Random demonstrated how Berkshire County Head Start was invited to lead the effort in bringing early childhood agencies together with local businesses, which was a new career experience for her. 

 

"Berkshire United Way took the initiative to elevate the work of early childhood programs, and now we're working together to create systems that better support the early childhood needs of families across Berkshire County. That's partnership," Random said. 

 

"Being funded by Berkshire United Way is more than just a term. It means having a partner who shows up for you, invests in what you are doing, in your mission, and truly believes in what we can achieve together." 

 

In addition to funding the highest quality child care centers in Berkshire County, BUW provides convening and spaces of safety to bring folks together to work on problems, elevate solutions, and lift barriers to collectively improve the conditions of Berkshire County, von Haefen said, 

 

"We also love to collaborate," she said, pointing to a public preschool initiative with Head Start and the Pittsfield Public Schools. 

 

Molly Hines Aliberti, of Onyx Specialty Papers, was given the Employee Campaign Coordinator of the Year Award and described as a "ray of sunshine" in the workplace.  The awardee's child entered kindergarten this year, and she is seeing firsthand the importance of early education. 

 

"I've been our employee coordinator for about seven years now, and I've been truly blessed to have some great team members along the way to help," Hines Aliberti said. 

 

Over the summer, former president and CEO Thomas Bernard resigned from BUW to pursue other opportunities.  He was hired in January 2022 after serving as mayor of his hometown, North Adams. 

 

On the tables were blank paper flower petals that attendees were asked to decorate with words of hope. "There is so much sadness and challenges in our communities. We want to leave with hope," von Haefen said.