NORTHFIELD — With her appointment to the 20-member Family Advisory Council for Early Education and Care, Northfield resident Tierney Sodders hopes to ensure that rural western Massachusetts families have a voice in statewide decisions.
Through her work running The Nest Community Closet at the United Church of Bernardston, Sodders connects families with free children’s clothing, diapers, strollers and other essentials. She also maintains an online directory of playgroups, story times and caregiver support programs across western Massachusetts.
“I want to make sure that our rural communities have a voice,” Sodders said. “Sometimes rural areas are forgotten.”
Gov. Maura Healey launched the new council, bringing together parents, caregivers and guardians from across Massachusetts to help shape the Department of Early Education and Care’s programs, on Sept. 1. The council’s creation advances a priority of the department’s Strategic Action Plan: centering the voices of families, educators and providers in the department’s policies and programs.
Council members will meet quarterly to discuss issues such as access to family support services, childcare financial assistance, workforce development and ways to increase family engagement.
“We’re working every day to make high-quality childcare more affordable and accessible for families across Massachusetts, and that work has to start with listening to families,” Healey said in a statement. “That’s what this council is all about. These members know firsthand what it takes to find and pay for care, navigate different programs and make the best choices for their children. Their voices will help us build a childcare system that works better for every family. “
“Parents and caregivers understand what is working, what is not and where families need more support,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said in a statement. “This council brings those experiences directly into the decisions we make at the state level. We’re grateful to every member for stepping up to represent families in their communities.”
Sodders said she learned about the opportunity to serve on the council through a friend, who sent her the application. Having grown up in rural western Massachusetts, moved away and eventually returned, she said she understands how the needs of families in less densely populated communities can differ from those elsewhere in the state. She is the sole member of the council from Franklin County.
As someone raising children who are bilingual in English and Spanish, Sodders said language accessibility is particularly important to her. At The Nest Community Closet, she ensures that signs are available in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole.
“I saw it as an opportunity to advocate for families across different income levels and different language backgrounds,” she said of joining the council.
Sodders’ local work with families extends beyond The Nest Community Closet. A certified birth and postpartum doula who is not currently practicing, she draws on her background to connect people with information and support during early parenthood.
Over the years, she has volunteered with playgroups and story times at places like Franklin County’s YMCA in Greenfield, the Erving Public Library and Dickinson Memorial Library in Northfield. Some of those programs have been offered in English and Spanish.
She also maintains playgroups and youth programs through Western Mass Playgroups, a volunteer-run online directory that brings together information about activities and support programs in Franklin, Hampshire, Hampden and Berkshire counties.
The directory allows parents and caregivers to find programs based on their schedules and locations. Sodders has also compiled information about where families can obtain free car seats and diapers.
Her work, she shared, sometimes involves organizing activities or gathering information behind the scenes so families can find the help they need.
“I think that a lot of times there actually might be a resource that exists, but many of our families don’t know about them or they maybe don’t know how to navigate the system,” she said.
Sodders hopes the Family Advisory Council for Early Education and Care can help make existing resources easier to find and connect families with organizations that can support them. Among the issues Sodders hopes to address through her service on the council are the practical challenges of accessing services in rural communities, transportation being one of them.
Although public transportation options exist in the region, she said service is limited in many areas. Families without their own vehicles can have trouble reaching childcare providers and other support services, particularly during the winter.
Affordability is another concern. Even when families can locate childcare, the cost can remain a significant obstacle.
Sodders hopes the council will explore how the state can better address those challenges, although she acknowledged that she does not yet know what specific solutions might emerge from the discussions.
She is also interested in whether local childcare providers and preschools offer information in multiple languages. While the Department of Early Education and Care has much of its information available in multiple languages, Sodders said she wonders whether that accessibility extends to individual providers and programs.
Sodders will serve a two-year term on the council. As she begins the work, she hopes its discussions will lead to more welcoming spaces where families can ask questions, build relationships with community resources and feel comfortable seeking assistance.
“I think the bigger picture,” she said, “now that we certainly know what [the challenges] are, how are we going to tackle them?”
