From left: United Way of Massachusetts Bay Interim CEO Daphne Principe-Griffin, VP of Shared Services at UWMB Melinda Weber, BUW Director of Community Impact Katherine von Haefen, Executive Director of Strategies for Children Amy O’Leary, BUW President and CEO Tom Bernard, and Chief of Community Impact at UWMB Karley Ausiello.
School and career readiness is one of Berkshire United Way’s strategic priorities. We’re proud to be a funder, convener, and advocacy partner with early childhood education providers and leaders locally and statewide as we work together to ensure every young person has access to quality, affordable early childhood education.
Earlier this week, BUW President and CEO Tom Bernard and Director of Community Impact Katherine von Haefen joined colleagues from the United Way of Massachusetts Bay, the Massachusetts Early Childhood Funders Collaborative and corporate funders, legislators and their staff (including members of Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier’s team), the state’s Executive Office of Economic Development, the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, and other early education professionals at a State House event focused on strengthening the family child care system.
Like their counterparts in center-based early childhood education, family providers make a powerful and positive impact on children, families, and communities. They are educators and entrepreneurs, and play a critical role in ensuring other parents and caregivers can pursue and achieve their career and education goals.
“Early learning educators are the backbone of local economies and can be seen as ‘the workers for the workers,’ allowing parents and caregivers to be gainfully employed while their children are in care,” said Melinda Weber, VP of Shared Services at United Way of Massachusetts Bay.
BUW is committed to ongoing collaboration with United Way of Massachusetts Bay and our state and local partners to identify and implement programs and strategies to help everyone in this critical sector thrive.
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Amy Kershaw, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, and BUW's Katherine von Haefen.