Early Childhood Education Think Tank
In summer 2010, Berkshire United Way and the Berkshire Compact for Education began meeting with a group of early childhood education (ECE) and other interested professionals in response to a concern for Berkshire County third-grade MCAS reading scores identified in the Community Impact Baseline Report. Investigation led to agreement on the connection between ECE and third-grade reading scores and longer-term educational success.
As a result, the group is working to define a county-wide campaign for early childhood education and literacy that will include:
- Educator training and certification, and including local colleges in providing training.
- Student assessment and standardizing performance measures across curricula.
- A public information campaign to convey the importance of early childhood education to parents and place a spotlight on education as a central value of the region.