HCC to open expanded child watch center

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College will celebrate the grand reopening of its Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center in a newly renovated and expanded space on Wednesday, Sept. 24.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception will take place in its new location on the second floor of the Frost Building beginning at 10:30 a.m.

Among those scheduled to attend are Amy Kershaw, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, state Sen. John Velis, state Rep. Pat Duffy, HCC President George Timmons, and representatives from the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation.

Itsy Bitsy Child Watch is a free, drop-in service for student parents who need short-term child care while they attend classes, study, or meet with tutors and advisers. It opened as a pilot program in fall 2022 after a $100,000 state allocation. At the time, HCC was only the second community college in Massachusetts — and the only one in western Massachusetts — to offer a free child watch service.

Expansion became possible after HCC received a $600,000 grant from the Davis Foundation in December 2023. The new center occupies the space where HCC’s culinary arts program resided before it moved into the HCC MGM Culinary Arts Institute in downtown Holyoke.  

The new Itsy Bitsy Child Watch Center is double the size of the original center, which was located on the first floor of the Marieb Building, and will nearly double the capacity of children served at any given time, from 10 to 19.

Forbes bus trip to FDR Library and Museum

NORTHAMPTON — The Friends of Forbes Library is offering a bus trip to Hyde Park, New York on Friday, Oct. 24 for guided tours of the Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site, FDR Presidential Library and Museum, and Val-Kill, Eleanor Roosevelt’s cottage.

The bus trip will depart from the Forbes Library parking lot at 9 a.m. and return at approximately 6:30 p.m. Travel will be on a luxury coach and entertainment including presidential trivia will be offered during the bus trip.

Limited tickets for the trip are available for $130 and include travel, entry fees, tours, and lunch. Sign up by calling 413-587-1011 or sign up in person at the Forbes Library main desk. 

NEF Spelling Bee seeks sponsors, teams

NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Education Foundation seeks team sponsors and teams for the 23rd annual Adult Spelling Bee scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m., at Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity, 130 Pine St., Florence.

The NEF Spelling Bee is well-attended by an audience of community members and NEF supporters. Up to 40 teams composed of three adults, most in costume, vie for awards in spelling, costume and humor. The Bee will be broadcast live by WHMP and recorded and shared for replay by Northampton Open Media.

New this year is peer-to-peer fundraising for teams, which allows them to raise additional funds from friends and family. Prizes will be awarded to the Honey Bees — the teams that bring in the highest amounts. 

Funds raised by the Bee support the NEF Small Grants for Teachers program. In 2024, NEF awarded 25 grants totaling $58,772 to fund innovative programs across all grade levels and content areas in Northampton’s public schools.

Businesses, organizations, and community members are invited to register a Spelling Bee team for $300. For those who want to sponsor but don’t want to put together a team, NEF can match you with one. For those who want to form a team but don’t have the funds to register one, NEF will match teams with a sponsor.

Sponsors and teams can register on NEF’s website at https://northamptoneducation.org/spelling-bee/

Cutchins to throw 40th birthday bash

NORTHAMPTON — The Cutchins Children’s Clinic is turning 40, and the community is invited to join the celebration on Thursday, Sept. 25, from 3 to 6 p.m., when the organization will host “Wicked Fun 40th Birthday Party” in a tent located behind the clinic at 17 Brewster Court.

This milestone celebration marks four decades of care and the grand opening of the clinic’s expanded first floor, designed to meet the growing needs of children and families in the Pioneer Valley. New services will soon include neuropsychological evaluations, occupational therapy, and neurofeedback, alongside the clinic’s long-standing, trauma-informed mental health services.

The party will include tours of the new first-floor space and clinic; games and activities for children of all ages; brief remarks from community leaders and staff; and a special award presentation honoring clinic founder Cynthia Monahan.

The event is free and open to the public. Families, alumni, supporters and community members are encouraged to drop in. For more information about the event or the Clinic’s services, visit https://cutchins.org/get-involved/events.

Cutchins Programs provides comprehensive, trauma-informed mental health services for children and families.