community learning in the berkshires

Greenagers is thrilled to partner with Flying Cloud Institute, Berkshire South Regional Community Center, Volunteers in Medicine, and Flying Deer Nature Center to offer CLuB, Community Learning in the Berkshires.

As Covid-19 numbers continue to rise around the country, Berkshire Hills and Southern Berkshire Regional School Districts have adopted a hybrid learning plan for reopening schools, wherein all but some high needs learners in Kindergarten through Grade 12 will be expected to stay home 3 out of 5 school days. For many working families, this represents an impossible scenario, and supervision of the districts’ remote learning plans cannot be their responsibility alone. CLuB offers local parents a low to no-cost remote learning site for their children that includes full-day supervision (8 a.m.-4 p.m.), skilled assistance with school-assigned academic work and extensive enrichment. Emphasis is placed largely on outdoor experiential learning and use of outdoor classrooms in all seasons. We are currently serving 115 children between two host sites, Berkshire South Regional Community Center and April Hill Conservation and Education Center.

Read this compelling Letter to the Editor of Berkshire Edge by Sheela Clary, Flying Deer Board Chair.

Starting as a great idea by VIM director Ilana Steinhaur in July of 2020 to address the clear and urgent need for childcare and education supports in south county, this project has grown into a vital community resource for working families, public schools, students, and cultural organizations. Coalition members worked hard over the summer to turn this idea into a reality and meet the pressing needs of working families whose children will be educated remotely this school year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Collaborating partners include the public school districts, Rep. Smitty Pignatelli, and cultural and education nonprofits.

We believe this crisis demands a new way of thinking and collaborating, and an all-hands-on-deck approach to public education. We believe in an equitable allocation of educational and child care resources. We are not aiming to create just a “less bad” option to the option of staying home alone, but rather something creative, appealing to parents, engaging for students, and with the added benefit of building community.

For more information, please visit: CLuB.

Help local families today!