Current Status of Child Care in the Berkshires
Date: Monday, November 1, 2021
Time: 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Location: Virtual
(zoom details will be provided to all who RSVP)
RSVP by: 12pm, Nov 1, 2021
THIS EVENT HAS ENDED
Please join us in October for an evening of Recognition to our 2021 Scholarship Recipients
The November Membership meeting, will take place on Monday, November 1st at 5:30pm. Guest speakers Sarah Cook (read bio below), President and CEO, 18 Degrees, and Erin Sullivan (read bio below), Vice President of Community and Donor Relations at 18 Degrees, will speak about the current status of child care in the Berkshires followed by a Question and Answer session. Erin will address the challenges moving forward to make child care more available on both a local and systemic level, and what we as professionals can do to promote positive changes in the vital industry. Erin will share data from around the region and details of a new pilot program happening at 18 Degrees. Please click the link below to RSVP and join us!
Out of concern for our continued safety, we will be meeting on Zoom until further notice.
Sarah Cook
President and CEO, 18 Degrees
A native of Massachusetts, Sarah Cook’s career started in Boston, where she worked at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in the Division of Social Medicine and Health Inequalities. From there, she moved to the Massachusetts Association of Community Action Programs, and then to Action for Boston Community Development, where she provided planning and program support to a wide variety of community development services including health services and screenings, child care placement and Head Start programs, and employment opportunities and education for teens.
After moving to Austin, Sarah worked briefly with the State of Texas on workforce development issues for home care workers, and moved to Central Health, where for nearly ten years she has led programs to improve health outcomes for Travis County residents with low income. While at Central Health, Sarah led a multi-county Medicaid Waiver program, receiving state and federal approval for an ambitious package of healthcare transformation projects, and met outcome targets to draw down of hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funds for her organization and the region.
Among other achievements, Sarah has spearheaded work to ensure delivery of health care and related services for homeless residents and for patients with substance use disorders and behavioral health needs; considered how the health system could better support patients also involved with the justice system; launched the first work on health outcomes and equity issues for Central Health’s population; and incorporated patient experiences and perspectives into service planning and program development.
While in Austin, Sarah has served and supported a number of civic organizations, including the Hope Food Pantry, the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association, the Austin Rowing Center, and Leadership Austin; she has also received an appointment to the City of Austin's Bond Oversight Commission. Cook received her undergraduate degree from Princeton and a Masters degree from the London School of Economics.
Erin Sullivan
VP of Community and Donor Relations, 18 Degrees
Erin Sullivan is the Vice President of Community and Donor Relations at 18 Degrees. Erin’s career has centered on generating the resources front line staff need to do their work through community engagement, marketing, raising philanthropic and grant funding, and volunteer recruitment.
She started her journey in the nonprofit sector as a victim advocate volunteer for the Eagle County Sherriff’s Department in Colorado. She has worked in the areas of family planning, domestic and sexual violence, United Way, and a nonprofit hospital and hospice, before joining 18 Degrees in 2014. This wide array or experiences has given her a comprehensive view of nonprofit operations, their economic development impact, and their roles as social justice advocates.
She was a founding member of the political action committee, WHEN!, in 2003 and continues to be involved in local politics. She served on the Pittsfield Public Schools School Committee, the Pittsfield Garden Tour committee, as a foster parent, and the Pittsfield Zoning Board of Appeals. Currently she is Co-Warden of the Vestry at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church and clerk for the Police Advisory and Review Board in Pittsfield.
She has a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice and Communications from Westfield State College – now University- and a Master’s in Public Administration with a Nonprofit Management concentration from the Colorado University - Denver. Originally from Cape Cod, Erin has adapted well to life in the Berkshires with her husband Chris. She has three adult children, Megan, Grady, and Gabrielle.