STCC Partners with HCS Head Start to Open Early-childhood Program

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), Holyoke Chicopee Springfield (HCS) Head Start, and dignitaries announced the opening of an HCS early-childhood program on the STCC campus.

The opening of the facility will provide affordable childcare for qualifying families in the region, as well as learning and training opportunities for STCC students.

The announcement came at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 23 in front of the new Head Start location in Building 14. Earlier in the year, the Assoc. of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and the National Head Start Assoc. (NHSA) initiated a partnership to increase the number of Head Start programs co-located on community-college campuses. STCC is the first community college in Western Mass. to host a Head Start center.

Also attending the ribbon cutting were members of the Springfield state delegation, STCC trustees, and faculty, as well as HCS Head Start board members and leaders.

At the STCC campus location, HCS Head Start will provide services in one of the historic brick buildings located on the south side of the campus near State Street. HCS Head Start will have two classrooms, one for infants and toddlers as well as a preschool classroom.

The partnership will strengthen workforce-development opportunities for educators, HCS Head Start CEO Nicole Blais said. “This exciting partnership will allow us to provide access to affordable care for qualifying students. We also will collaborate with STCC’s early childhood education program and give students the opportunity to do their student teaching.”

HCS Head Start will provide internship opportunities for students studying in various disciplines across the STCC campus. “This partnership allows us to create a pipeline to employment for future early-childhood educators,” Blais noted.

STCC President John Cook expressed enthusiasm for the new partnership, noting that research shows access to childcare can remove barriers for students with children.

“We are thrilled to welcome HCS Head Start to our campus,” he said. “We very much view this collaboration as a version of what is termed in the field as a ‘lab school,’ with a focus on workforce development — our students deeply embedded with Head Start programming and teaching. On the cusp of the 60th anniversary of Head Start, how exciting to formalize this partnership in Springfield.”

Added Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, “the importance of strong early-childhood education cannot be overstated. We will continue to invest in our students, families, and youth who are furthering their education and bring them the tools and opportunities they need to succeed. There is no limit to what our young people can accomplish, and my administration will continue to do what we can to make sure that our youth have the skills and opportunities to succeed in life.”

In February 2024, ACCT and NHSA announced the launch of the Kids on Campus initiative to bring more Head Start programs to community-college campuses throughout the U.S. The joint project offers a practical, common-sense approach to solving challenges in childcare and education, according to the ACCT announcement.

ACCT notes that qualifying student parents receive free, high-quality childcare and early education for their families from the Head Start program, while colleges obtain an expert partner to operate on-site childcare from Head Start, which also has the ability to apply funding to retrofit buildings on campus.