Blog/News

January 2024 Highlights from 18 Degrees

Happy New Year From 18 Degrees!  Anniversary Reflection from our President Thanks to my long history with 18 Degrees, I have a familiarity with the challenges our communities in Berkshire County and the Pioneer Valley face, as well as their potential. During my first year as President & CEO, I’ve gained a new perspective highlighting …

December Highlights from 18 Degrees

Monthly News Highlights Introducing Our New Board Chair Sheila Heffernon's relationship with 18 Degrees began five years ago when she attended a Kids 4 Harmony Gala. It was clear to her that 18 Degrees is an agency that truly makes a difference in the lives of the people it serves.   Shortly thereafter, Sheila joined the board …

18 Degrees Community Cookbook

Click below to view recipes submitted by 18 Degrees staff and families for our Community Cookbook.

November Highlights from 18 Degrees

Monthly News Highlights 18 Degrees Permanency Services Federal data documents roughly 400,000 children in foster care in the US and 113,000 waiting to be adopted. 18 Degrees is the only state-contracted adoption management service in Western MA guiding foster children and families toward permanent placement. In the last 6 months, we've helped facilitate 7 adoptions.  Darien and …

October Highlights From 18 Degrees

Recognized for our ImpactExperts in our Field 18 Degrees was honored with a Peer Provider Award from the Provider's Council. President & CEO Stephanie Steed proudly accepted the award at the ceremony.  Founded in 1975, the Providers’ Council is the largest human services trade association. The Peer Provider Award is presented by the Council to agencies …

September Highlights From 18 Degrees

Summer Wrap-Up & Back-to-SchoolHighlights of our Early Education and Care Programming Our early education staff and teachers are committed to providing a fun, creative, and nurturing atmosphere, helping young children grow and thrive. We offer two childcare locations in Pittsfield with a social-emotional learning curriculum from infancy until Kindergarten.   Out-of-school care Kid's Clubs are …

A Reflection from a Healing Homes Teammate

My name is Kyle, and I’ve been working with 18 Degrees for just over nine years now in the Healing Homes Comprehensive Foster Care program. We started in Hadley and later made a smooth transition into West Springfield, closer to the families we work with. I came into this field hoping to be a voice …

18 DEGREES RECEIVES GRANT FUNDING TO SUPPORT MENTORING PROGRAM

18 Degrees is pleased to have been awarded a second $20,000 grant from the Mass Mentoring Partnership to support youth in the Pittsfield Community Connection Program (PCC). This matching grant is further supported by generous grant funding we received in 2022 from Berkshire United Way. 18 Degrees is honored to partner with our local and state …

18 DEGREES ANNOUNCES NEXT PRESIDENT AND CEO

The 18 Degrees Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Stephanie Steed, MEd, will assume the position of President and CEO on January 1, 2023. Steed, a longtime employee of the agency and current Vice President of Programs, assumes the position following the departure of Sarah Cook, who is leaving Western Massachusetts to spend …

Staff Spotlight, November 2022: Alison Mengel

By Stephanie Steed, Vice President of Programs Alison is a reflection of how empathy blended with clinical expertise results in a commitment to do what’s best. Through negotiation and problem-solving, she has helped children and families navigate the child welfare system on their paths to permanency. Alison knows the value of enriching activities and positive …

18 Degrees Launches Leadership Cohort

Submitted by Sarah Cook, President and CEO We strive to make 18 Degrees an organization where we regularly welcome fresh ideas and new perspectives, introduce new skills, and provide learning opportunities to expand our knowledge. In this vein, we are thrilled to launch our first agency-wide leadership cohort this fall for a rigorous nine-month exploration of …

Standout Summer for Kids 4 Harmony

Kids 4 Harmony is back in action for the school year. Earlier this month, Pittsfield’s Beginning Ensemble students got to choose their instruments at Morningside, while the Advanced String Ensemble and Elayne P. Bernstein Ensemble got back to work at Pittsfield High School. And new for K4H this year, we got a head start with …

YouthLaunch 3-year Impact Report

Download our 3-Year Program Report The YouthLaunch program was a three-year pilot that focused on early engagement for families with children zero to ten years old. Using a holistic approach with the EMPath Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) model, we further integrated a focus on parent and child interactions, as well as early and preliteracy skills …

Staff Spotlight, August 2022: Beth Gilbert

By: Ginger Cruz-Rosario, Team Lead for Pittsfield Community Connection   Beth joined Pittsfield Community Connection (PCC) at the height of the pandemic. She did not let the challenges of social distancing stop her from engaging youth and working to provide the interpersonal connections they so desperately needed in this time of isolation. In the spring of …

Staff Spotlight, July 2022: Courtney Clark

By: Sean Elligers, Artistic Director If you’ve followed Kids 4 Harmony and seen or heard the many students’ achievements, you’ve likely seen or heard of Courtney Clark as well - once the program’s Lead Teaching Artist and eventually the Artistic Director. Since 2011, alongside Alicia Stevenson (the previous Artistic Director), Courtney has been the unstoppable …