Reflecting on 2013

It is hard to believe that we are reaching a new year. So many things still to do! As I reflect however, there are also so many things that we accomplished. There will always be more to do but a bit of year end reflection can be nice.

So, we weathered government shutdowns and threats to funding. We saw more people in need, started new programs, and served a whole new group of people.

In a partnership with Soldier On, we focused on serving veterans and their families throughout the four counties of western Massachusetts. For those of you not familiar with our area, that is Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire and Berkshire Counties.

A group of Springfield veterans decided that more assistance was needed and so formed the Veterans First Comprehensive Outreach Center and we were, and are, happy to house that program.

A huge feather in our cap this year was getting NAEYC accreditation. That is the gold star for early education and care centers. All the staff at our childcare center, New Beginnings, worked diligently to achieve accreditation. The National Association for the Education of Young Children is the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals.

To earn NAEYC Accreditation, New Beginnings Childcare went through an extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the ten NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and more than 400 related Accreditation Criteria. The program received accreditation after an on-site visit by NAEYC Assessors to ensure that the program met each of the program standards.

Congratulations again to Childcare Director Tabitha Desplaines and every teacher and staff member at New Beginnings Childcare. We are so proud of you.

One of our New Beginnings teachers started a support group this year. Herself the mother of a child with autism, Carmen Miranda saw the need for help and established Gifted Families. This group is for families of children with special needs. They meet monthly to aid and support each other and to provide information about needed resources.

We also started a Job Readiness Program this year. We hired two energetic, enthusiastic and very knowledgeable young women to provide assistance with all the components needed to help someone get a job; resume writing, interview skills, job search, and much more. The program is only a few months old but already they have facilitated workshops, brought in guest speakers, and even landed a couple of jobs.

We were extremely proud and pleased for Elsa Dones, our Community Health Worker and Alzheimer’s Project Coordinator. She was presented with the Self-Sufficiency Employee Excellence Award in a ceremony at the State House in Boston. The Massachusetts Association of Community Action Programs, or MASSCAP, presents this annual award to Community Action Agency employees for their achievement of and dedication to the goals of self-sufficiency.

A citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives in recognition of Elsa’s compassion to improving the lives of those with Alzheimer’s was presented from State Representative Cheryl Coakley-Rivera. Congratulations, Elsa!

So, some highlights of our year and a gentle reminder that we can always use your help – whether as a volunteer, a donor, or a friend telling others about our work, we appreciate you. Don’t forget to like us on various social media venues and stay tuned for upcoming information as we get ready to mark our 50^th year in the fall.

We Received NAEYC Accreditation

Our early education and care program, New Beginnings Childcare, has earned accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) – the nation’s leading organization of early childhood professionals.

To earn NAEYC Accreditation, New Beginnings Childcare went through an extensive self-study process, measuring the program and its services against the ten NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and more than 400 related Accreditation Criteria. The program received Accreditation after an on-site visit by NAEYC Assessors to ensure that the program met each of the program standards.

In the 25 years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 7,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC – approximately 8 percent of all preschools and other early childhood programs.

 “We are extremely proud of the childcare program staff. They worked hard to accomplish their goal of earning this mark of quality from NAEYC,” said Paul Bailey, Executive Director. “NAEYC Accreditation assures families in our community that children at New Beginnings are getting the best care and early learning experiences possible.”

Pumpkin Picking at Randall's Farm

Yesterday (October 17) was a perfect day to visit Randall's Farm in Ludlow. New Beginnings Childcare enjoyed a field trip to pick pumpkins and play games. Everyone, kids, teachers and parents, had a blast.

A wagon trip out to the pumpkin field was just the start of the fun. And the weather, despite forecasts of showers, cooperated beautifully. There were all sorts of games to be enjoyed and of course, cider and donuts made at the farm. Yum!

Our Childcare Director, Tabitha Desplaines, feels that field trips like this are an important part of the curriculum. "Field trips are so much more than a bus ride and a pumpkin. Field trips like ours to Randall's Farm, start with teaching the children about where we are going and what we will see when we get there. Then we are off on the first part of our adventure; the bus ride! The children love looking out the windows and pointing at the familiar and new sights they see. For many of these children this was their first trip to a pumpkin patch. Their faces are priceless as they begin to experience the world taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells of the farm. Once back at the center, the teachers at New Beginnings extend learning by using pumpkin themed activities and encouraging the children to talk about all the things they learned. Children learn best through hands on experiences, and field trips are the ultimate in hands on experiences!"

And let's not forget the pumpkins! Here are just a few of our adorable kids with their picks:

Hopefully, you will be inspired to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather and visit a New England Farm. We recommend Randall's Farm in Ludlow, Massachusetts. They put on wonderful activities for the children and the adults thoroughly enjoyed themselves too.

For more photos, be sure to visit us on Facebook.

NAEYC Accreditation

We are pleased and excited to announce that New Beginnings Child Care Center is on its way to receiving NAEYC accreditation! Starting back in 1985, the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s accreditation process had a goal of providing a system that would elevate the level of early childhood programs everywhere. Today, NAEYC accreditation represents the mark of quality in early childhood education and the promise that the children will benefit from the program with a greater readiness for and success in school.

There are four steps to receiving NAEYC accreditation. The first step is Enrollment and Self Study. The next is the Application and Self-Assessment process. The third step is when the program submits its application to receive a Candidacy decision. New Beginnings is currently on the fourth and final step toward accreditation: the program has been accepted as a candidate and is currently awaiting a site visit. The visit could happen any time before the end of November. After the visit we'll be informed of NAEYC's decision.

With this accreditation, parents of children attending New Beginnings Childcare may rest assured that their child is receiving the best possible, quality education and care!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Wish us luck!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Summer Time and the Reading is Easy

Yesterday, our four and five-year olds from New Beginnings Childcare took a mini field trip. They visited the Mason Square Branch of the Springfield (MA) Public Library. Summer Storytime is every Wednesday morning for 3 - 6 year olds.

I followed the kids as they walked to the library. They were happy; singing, laughing, and enjoying the pleasant temps after a heat wave that made outside play much too uncomfortable.

As we walked along, the teachers asked, "Where are we going?" The children shouted out, "The Library." I don't know if the wonderful people at the Springfield Public Library know that they have a cheerleading squad.

Today's topic was trains, although I did not stay for the whole hour so there may very well have been additional topics. The reader was wonderful with the kids and started interacting with them immediately. They all eagerly raised their hands to answer his questions.

I know that the kids will be going back and enjoying Summer Storytime on Wednesdays.

New Beginnings Childcare Graduation 2013

Graduation at our childcare center, New Beginnings, is always bittersweet. We know the little ones aren't with us forever and that they are moving on in life and moving up in their education. However, we will miss each and every one of them.

We wanted to share a few of the photos with you and we have shared even more on our Facebook page so check that out too. While there, you might even "Like" us! The link is https://www.facebook.com/Springfield.Partners.for.Community.Action

 Our Childcare Director, Tabitha Desplaines, read a poem at the end of the ceremony. Here are some words from it:

"We have...spent many months together in the narrow confines of a classroom. We have grown close, have become a part of each other, and shall always retain a little of each other.
We have lived, loved, laughed, played, studied, learned, and enriched our lives together this year. 
We wish it could go on indefinitely, but give them back we must.
Take care of them, for they are precious."

Now, don't you wish you were there? 

Provider Resource Fair

Today the Community Advocacy Board presented their second Provider Resource Fair. Since Springfield Partners is represented on the board, we thought it appropriate to share some info and some photos of the event.

Other agencies and groups on the board are the Springfield Public Library; Mercy Medical Center's Health Care for the Homeless; Greater Springfield Senior Services, where the event was held; the Open Pantry; and Springfield Technical Community College.

There was a wonderful variety of presenters, too:

• Catholic Charities
• Springfield School Volunteers
• Social Security Administration
• Department of Transitional Assistance
• Easter Seals Massachusetts
• the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts
• Springfield Parent Academy
• the Alzheimer's Association
• HAP Housing
• Greater Springfield Senior Services
• Springfield Public Library
• Springfield Partners for Community Action.

It was a well attended and informative morning. And happily, all the evaluations were extremely positive. The Community Advocacy Board will be putting this on again next year.

So, here are some shots from the Fair:

 

Sequestration

Sequestration: it's going to happen. Today we held a press conference to talk about the impact to our clients. We were joined by Steve Huntley, Executive Director at Valley Opportunity Council (VOC) and Nicole Blais, Community Liaison at Holyoke Chicopee Springfield Head Start who talked about the direct impact on their programs.

We talked about how the cuts mean that we won't be able to provide Weatherization Assistance to 150 families this year. VOC won't be able to help about 700 households with fuel assistance. And for Head Start kids, well the cuts will be particularly devastating.

So, is there anything we can do at this point? We can call our legislators. Let them know that we are unhappy. We are all going to be affected by sequestration and it isn't going to be pretty. Tell them we need a to make millionaires pay their fair share in taxes. Tell them that deficit cuts shouldn't be affecting jobs.

For more reading check out the Coalition on Human Needs at www.chn.org and the Guardian article on impacts on the poor as well as the Democratic Proposal called the American Family Economic Protection Act. Let's all make some noise!

A Ribbon Cutting for our Revamped Indoor Play Room

With many thanks to the members of our Weatherization Department, we reopened our Indoor Play Room today. The children waited patiently through the short program - Childcare Director Tabitha Desplaines cut the ribbon and thanked the crew for all their work with a basket of goodies.

As you can see, the children were thrilled. They truly enjoy being able to ride and bounce and run and climb. And the teachers just love to see the kids having a wonderful time. And remember, playing is a way for kids to learn and to improve not only motor skills, but social skills too.

For other photos please check out our Facebook and Pinterest pages.

VITA Kickoff

According to Dr. Michael Sherraden, Director of the Center for Social Development at Washington University, “VITA tax preparation sites are an invaluable resource. Low-income tax filers at VITA sites get honest service that is in their best interest. This quality tax service enables families to put a portion of refunds aside as savings, making their lives more stable."

And today, National Earned Income Tax Credit Awareness Day, we kicked off the 2013 tax season with speakers, information and, of course, tax preparation. Several clients made appointments to meet with our specially trained volunteers to file their income taxes. 

Our volunteers are trained to look for tax credits to ensure that tax payers get all their money back. Who doesn't want a bigger refund? Well, just that little girl on the annoying commercial! But it sticks with you, doesn't it!

The Earned Income Tax Credit and the Child Tax Credit keep families from sinking into poverty each year. And that is just about the biggest goal we have here at Springfield Partners. We also encourage tax filers to save some of their refund. We suggest that they enroll in our Financial Literacy workshops to learn how to better manage their money and we go even further by telling them about our matched savings accounts. Save to buy a home, pay for college, or start a small business. Save now while there are a few extra dollars. 

But, back to the celebration at Springfield Partners today. We invited speakers from all over - and they showed up because they are all very aware of the importance of Volunteer Income Tax Assistance sites and just how much families can get back with EITC. They also know that more than $13 billion (you read that right. Billion!) in EITC goes unclaimed each year.

With that said, we thank Margaret Boyle from Congressman Richard Neal’s office; Jeremiah Thompson, Regional Director for Senator Elizabeth Warren; Mary Ann Higgins from the Administration for Children and Families; Dora Robinson from the United Way of Pioneer Valley; Gerald Bell from the Department of Housing and Community Development; Joe Diamond, Executive Director at the Massachusetts Community Action Association; and Steve Huntley, Executive Director at Valley Opportunity Council.

We also are grateful to representatives from the IRS, Elms College, Alliance to Develop Power, Fallon Community Health Plan, Hampden County Sherrif's Department, and Mass Housing for attending and for partnering with us to help promote EITC and VITA.

National EITC Awareness Day

Just wanted to share a few photos from our event on Friday, January 25, 2013.

Thanks to all who attended and especially to our speakers.

To Start the New Year

In the spirit of improvement and resolutions that are typically associated with the onset of a new year, I have been trying to improve myself with some reading.

This article  Five Things That Really Smart People Do  from Inc.com has been quite helpful so, wanted to share. We all aspire to be really smart, right? There are suggestions for being more open minded and for quieting your inner voice.

Another helpful article to be found in Forbes Woman is Seven Ways to be Indispensable at Work in 2013 Dump some of your Facebook friends is one suggestion. When I realize the many people on my news feed I have never personally met, that idea makes sense. So does clearing all the clutter of your desk! I keep trying with that one.

Hopefully, you will find these articles interesting and helpful. If you'd like to share some of your reading, that would be much appreciated.