Administrative Offices
788 South Street
Pittsfield, MA 01201
(413) 499-7924
Press Releases
Hillcrest Receives Grant to Replace Campus Walk-In Cooler

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Mar. 9, 2015–Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, through the Office for Nutrition, Health and Safety Programs has awarded Hillcrest Educational Centers a $17,797 School Nutrition Equipment Assistance Grant for High Need Districts for the Center School.  The grant is to encourage schools to increase their capacity to serve healthier meals that meet the 2014-2015 USDA meal pattern as part of participating in the National School Lunch Program.  The Center school will purchase a new walk-in cooler /dry storage unit to replace the outdated, inefficient smaller unit.

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Hillcrest Awarded $5000 Grant from Massachusetts Bankers Association

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Jan. 26, 2015 – The Massachusetts Bankers Association (MBA) Charitable Foundation has awarded Hillcrest Educational Centers (HEC) a $5,000 unrestricted grant during its annual year-end community grant season.

The MBA awarded deserving social service agencies 37 grants in 2014 totaling a record amount of $152,500. Their foundation has given a lifetime total of $1.9 million over its 18-year history. Its membership consists of 170 Massachusetts and New England banks.

The grant awarded to Hillcrest will be used for their 2015 Annual Campaign.

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Hillcrest Marks 30 Years of Success With Launch of Educational Foundation

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Jan. 12, 2015– Hillcrest Educational Centers is celebrating 30 years of providing therapeutic treatment and special education to children and adolescents with unique psychological and learning needs.

“During our 30 years in business we have touched the lives of thousands of young people, their families and their communities,” said Gerard E. Burke, President & CEO of Hillcrest. “We continue to develop our business in response to the needs of families, who often feel they have run out of solutions until they connect with our caring and professional staff.” The private not-for-profit has also formed Hillcrest Educational Foundation (HEF), a parent company that will serve as an umbrella organization for Hillcrest’s diversified services.
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Hillcrest Dental Care Inc. Awarded Grant to Educate
Local Children on Oral Health

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Jan. 13, 2015—Hillcrest Dental Care (HDC) has been awarded an $1,813 grant from The Central Berkshire Fund of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation to provide free, in school, oral health education to elementary school and day care children in Berkshire County. The educational program began in 2011 and Hillcrest Dental Care is committed to educating children while they are young and excited to learn proper oral health care and good nutrition.

Children in central Berkshire County will be afforded oral health and nutrition information and supplies as part of their school day without costing their educational facilities or families. HDC hygienists in collaboration with elementary school personnel develop curriculum. HDC Hygienists will hold trainings during Oral Health Month reaching pre- K to 2nd grade children by providing 1-hour trainings in classrooms for schools and day cares.
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Hillcrest Educational Centers Starts Local Internship Program

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Jan. 14, 2015– Hillcrest Educational Centers launches Summer
Internship Program. The program first began in the summer of 2014.

The goals of creating an internship program were twofold, to offer local students in the
community an opportunity to develop their skills and expose those students to real-life
work experiences.
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Hillcrest Educational Centers Holds Annual Meeting

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Dec. 15, 2014– Hillcrest Educational Centers holds annual meeting.

Hillcrest Educational Centers held the 2014 Annual Meeting at Mazzeo’s Restaurant in Pittsfield, MA on November 5, 2014. The meeting highlighted a successful year for Hillcrest Educational Centers and a bright future ahead. During the meeting, new officers were elected:

Hillcrest Educational Centers (HEC)
John Martin, Chairman
Patricia Joseph, Vice Chairman
John Walsh, Clerk

Also added for a 3 year Board term are Gina Coleman and Emily Biron. We are looking forward to a successful 2015 serving the needs of our students and families.
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Hillcrest Educational Centers is Seeking Financial Contributions Toward its Holiday Gift Drive

PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Hillcrest Educational Centers is seeking financial contributions toward its holiday gift drive.

Hillcrest Educational Centers in Pittsfield, a member of the Massachusetts Association of 766 Approved Private Schools (maaps), relies on generous contributions from private citizens in order to provide gifts during the holidays for its 150 students ages 6 to 22. The non-profit is looking to meet its $1,250 fundraising goal in order for staff to fulfill the remaining wishes for its students.

During the campus holiday celebrations, each student is provided with one gift to open and then on Christmas morning they open the rest of their gifts. Each student receives six gifts.

To mail a financial contribution, send to: Holiday Wish Program, Hillcrest Educational Centers, 788 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201. As a guide, $150 sponsors one child's wish list, $25 will buy one gift, $10 will fill a child's stocking.
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Hillcrest and Endicott College Partner to Offer Local Graduate Program

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Dec. 02, 2014– Hillcrest Educational Centers and Endicott College’s Van Loan School have partnered to offer a local graduate program.

The program will offer dual certification with a Masters in Education and certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

The Certificate Program in Applied Behavior Analysis at the Van Loan School is a unique, advanced-level teacher preparation program focused on the application of behavioral principles in addressing the needs of exceptional learners. The program fulfills the educational requirements to sit for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) examination.
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Hillcrest Dental Care Inc. Expands and Promotes

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Nov. 21, 2014—Hillcrest Dental Care promotes Tricia Hunt to the new position of Director of Dental Operations. 

Hunt joined Hillcrest Dental Care, Inc. in December of 2008. In July, of 2014 she was promoted to the Director of Dental Operations, overseeing both the Pittsfield and the recently added North Adams practice.  

Tricia joined the healthcare industry in 1997.  She has held administrative and managerial positions over her 17-year tenure.  Most recently, she was the Business Office Manager of a Federally Qualified Health Center in Bucksport Maine.   
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Hillcrest Educational Centers Awarded Worksite Wellness Stipend by Health New England

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Nov. 17, 2014- Hillcrest Educational Centers (HEC) has been awarded a Worksite Wellness Stipend by Health New England.

In order to address the large number of lifestyle concerns, such as physical inactivity, poor nutrition, and the growing rates of obesity and chronic disease in the adult working population in Berkshire County, Health New England (HNE) has collaborated with Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) creating a Worksite Wellness Stipend Program (WWSP).  Through this partnership, HNE employer groups will have the opportunity to purchase wellness services from BHS’s Wellness at Work Program.  Hillcrest is the first employer in Berkshire County to be awarded this stipend.
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Hillcrest Kicks Off 2014 Holiday Wish Program

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Nov. 17, 2014– Hillcrest Educational Centers' 2014 Holiday Wish Program is now underway.

The Holiday Wish Program provides gifts for the 150 special-needs children in their care, many who are unable to spend the holidays with their family.  There are two ways to participate. Individuals, community groups or businesses can requests the desired number of Wish Cards with instructions on shopping for the children by contacting Sheila Mason smason@Hillcrestec.org or 413-499-7924 extension 133. Or, to mail a donation, send to Holiday Wish Program, Hillcrest Educational Centers, 788 South Street,  Pittsfield, MA 01201. As a guide, $150 sponsors one child’s wish list, $25 will buy a gift, $10 will fill a child’s stocking.
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Fall Classic Golf Tournament Raises Over $60,000

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Oct. 28, 2014 - With lead support from MountainOne, Hillcrest Educational Centers’ 2014 Fall Golf Classic benefit raised over $60,000 from tournament sponsorships and silent auction and raffle sales. The event was held on Friday, September 26, at Wahconah Country Club in Dalton, Mass.

The presenting sponsor for the Fall Classic was MountainOne. Additional lead sponsors included: The Kraft Group and the New England Patriots, Barry Architects, Inc., Graphic Impact Signs, Inc., Commercial Distributing, Inc., Restorations, Inc., Haddad Dealerships, NDS Electronics, Berkshire Bank, Pignatelli Electrical Contractors, Reliable Yarwards, Inc., The Nichols Family and Climate Heating and Cooling, Inc.

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Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. Hires New Director of Education

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Aug. 25, 2014 – Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. (HEC) hires Diane Parks as Director of Education.

Ms. Parks has been employed by Hillcrest Educational Centers since 1992. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Ithaca College and a Masters in Education from Temple University. She has held a variety positions during her tenure with Hillcrest Educational Centers including Teaching and Administrative positions.

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Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. Hires Director of Autism Services

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Aug. 18, 2014 – Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. (HEC) hires Todd Castine, Director of Autism Services to work on Autism Spectrum Disorder program development and expansion.

Todd Castine is a native of the Northern New York with over 25 years of experience working with children and adults having a variety of handicapping conditions. He is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

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Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. Awarded $5,000 from Pittsfield Cooperative Bank to purchase technology and speech and language applications for the ASD Program

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Aug. 13, 2014 – Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. (HEC) has been awarded $5,000 from The Pittsfield Cooperative to purchase iPads and speech and language applications for the ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) Residential Program to help ASD children learn and communicate with teachers, staff, family members, peers and conventional students and to reduce the self-injurious behaviors exhibited due to frustration.

New applications for the iPads are being developed everyday for nonverbal people. A few of the new applications are Grace Picture Exchange for Non-Verbal People and iAssist Communicator. Grace Picture Exchange for Non-Verbal People is a simple picture exchange system developed by and for non-verbal people allowing the user to communicate their needs by building sentences from relevant images. The app can be customized by the individual using their picture and photo vocabulary by taking and saving pictures independently to the app.

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Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. Awarded $4,000 Grant from Guardian Life Insurance Company for Culinary Pre-Vocational Program

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Aug. 11, 2014 – Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. (HEC) has been awarded $4,000 by The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America to begin a culinary pre-vocational program at the Housatonic Academy campus. A pre-vocational culinary program will enhance both independent living and pre-vocational skills for students at the Housatonic Academy.

Four Hillcrest staff will become ServSafe Food Safety Managers and will be certified as exam proctors, so they may instruct students in the culinary pre-vocational program and certify them in food safety and sanitation, as required by the Massachusetts Food Code.

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Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. Awarded $5,418 from Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation for Assistive Technology

PITTSFIELD, Mass. Aug. 6, 2014 – Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc. (HEC) has been awarded $5,418 from Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation to purchase assistive technology, specifically laptop computers and safe desks, for the ASD classrooms at the Housatonic Academy.

This grant will give Housatonic Academy the digital media resources needed to help ASD students understand concepts, practice new skills, and engage in exciting, authentic learning experiences.

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