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WMEF believes in the importance of providing specialized support to ensure the success of local businesses, to bring business owners together with their peers, and to connect business owners with a larger pool of resources in their line of business or area of expertise. WMEF indentifies the need for and develops its programs through collaboration with partner organizations in order to strengthen the support system for local businesses. Programs may be structured around an industry niche, a borrower type, or some other common link. Programs are designed to provide a combination of financial and technical assistance to provide highly specialized support specific to the participants’ needs. We continually look for opportunities and organizations to develop new programs, as we believe that by working in partnerships we can all create a much more significant impact in our communities.
WMEF conducted a professional development program to help Family Child Care Providers in Hampden County develop business and technical skills, using a grant from The Davis Foundation. Participants attended classes, including sessions conducted in Spanish, taught by the Preschool Enrichment Team and tailored to specific business needs of Family Child Care Providers. Classes covered policies, accounting, parent communications, client contracts, tax preparation and more, and included print materials for future reference. The program was valuable for the specific skills learned, but also for the opportunity for providers to work closely with their peers and gain confidence in their ability to run a child care as a business.
WMEF expanded the program to establish peer support groups among participants to sustain the connections established in the classroom. Peer groups had a facilitator initially, but continued to meet independently share resources and address common topics. WMEF offered business loans to help providers expand and professionalize their child care businesses, which was modified for financing specific computer purchases.
The Family Child Care program improves the quality of our region's child care by fostering professional development and by allowing parents to return to the workforce knowing that their children are in a safe, nurturing and professional environment.
"I completely changed all of my paper work and plan to bring all of my clients up-to-date. The classes make my feelings about being a professional more significant.."
- Davis Program Participant
"I now have a better understanding of just how important it is for me as a day care provider to always strive for better education in childcare."
- Davis Program Participant
WMEF is working with business partners to provide a range of resources to the agricultural community. The Solidago Foundation provided WMEF with a grant to research infrastructure capacity and needs in order to develop methods of increasing the business opportunities for and profitability of area farmers.
To create a direct financial assistance component to support infrastructure projects, The Frances Fund awarded WMEF with a grant to help the many small farmers that have difficulty obtaining financing. WMEF has been working with local organizations and individuals to identify projects which can benefit from this support and can lead to a stronger local agricultural community.
WMEF has partnered with Nuestras Raices to provide financing to farmers who are participants in their Farming program in Holyoke. WMEF makes seasonal loans to individual plot holders to help them get their crops started, with repayment completed in the fall when the produce has been sold.
The success of the agricultural program hinges on the quality partnerships with agencies and organizations locally and in the agriculture industry at large. WMEF is focused on bringing resources together to facilitate and enhance this crucial sector of our region.
