AIM Honors Hillcrest Educational Centers
One of the nation’s foremost schools for children with psychological and behavioral challenges is the winner of the 2026 John Gould Education and Workforce Development Award from Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM).
Hillcrest Educational Centers of Pittsfield is a private not-for-profit agency that provides individualized and comprehensive clinical, psychological and special education services for children, adolescents and families in Berkshire County and the Northeast. The organization will be honored in front of 500 Massachusetts business leaders at the AIM Annual Meeting on May 7.
The students served by Hillcrest in non-residential and residential programs have complex psychiatric, behavioral and/or developmental disorders, including Autism Spectrum disorders, and a variety of high-risk behaviors. Its mission is to address the significant needs of students during a critical time in their lives, providing them with essential skills that will enable them to achieve enduring positive change.
“From our dorms, classrooms, campus activities, and off-campus activities, Hillcrest offers a great environment for students to learn, heal, and progress,” said Shaun Cusson, president and CEO.
“What I’ve seen here at Hillcrest is that if you give a child enough support a miracle can happen…It’s critically important for everyone to understand that every child is an amazing child. And they shouldn’t be defined by the darkest moment in their lives.”
Hillcrest was started in 1985 as an organization that provided residential programs. While the agency still provides these residential services, Hillcrest today also offers non-residential day programs and services for emotionally/behaviorally disturbed students at their Hillcrest Academy, as well as general family dentistry at Hillcrest Dental Care.
The John Gould Education and Workforce Training Award was established in 1998 to recognize the contributions of individuals, employers, and institutions to the quality of public education and to the advancement, employability, and productivity of residents of the Commonwealth. In 2000, the award was named after the late John Gould, upon his retirement as president and CEO of AIM, to recognize his work to improve the quality of public education and workforce training in Massachusetts.