Braintree 市第二屆燈籠節 (圖片)

 

Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Four New Partnerships to Build Early Education Workforce

Healey-Driscoll Administration Announces Four New Partnerships

to Build Early Education Workforce

 

State boosting economic mobility pathways for early childhood educators, with focus on family child care 

 

BOSTON — Building on the Healey-Driscoll Administration’s investment in Registered Apprenticeships to grow the early childhood education workforce, the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) announced today an initial award of $1.4 million for the first round of pilot partnerships with selected organizations to serve as regional intermediaries to support workforce development pathways, including registered apprenticeships, for center-based and family child care (FCC) programs across Massachusetts. Establishing regional intermediaries for early childhood education registered apprenticeship programs also reflects the cross-secretariat collaboration of Governor Healey’s Early Education and Care Task Force.

 

The pilot partnerships include the Community Group, based in Lawrence, selected to support center-based apprenticeship programs, and three organizations selected for FCC intermediary support:

• Family Services of Central Massachusetts, serving EEC’s Western and Central regions
• United Way of Massachusetts Bay, serving EEC’s Metro Boston and the Northeast regions
• The SEIU Education and Support Fund, serving EEC’s Southeast and Cape region

 

“Our administration is committed to making early education and care more affordable and accessible for families across the state,” said Governor Maura Healey. “With support from game-changing programs like C3, we made progress last year with more families able to enroll their children in affordable child care, more educators being hired, and educator wages continuing to increase. But we know there is more work to be done. These new partnerships build on that success and take a regional approach to promoting a robust early childhood workforce.”

“We know that child care costs are too high, and waitlists are too long. A key to lowering costs and expanding options for families is a strong, high-quality workforce,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “These apprenticeship partnerships will strengthen and boost our early childhood profession, increasing critical opportunities for hands-on training and hard skill development.”

 

In collaboration with EOLWD’s Division of Apprentice Standards (DAS), the intermediaries will provide high-quality training opportunities, recruit apprentices and connect them to employers, and assist registered apprenticeship programs with the administrative tasks of managing pathways and requirements for registering programs. Further, intermediaries will be positioned to provide participating child care program employers and FCC educators with funding to cover mentor stipends and wages for apprentices. Early childhood apprenticeships are one of the fastest growing sectors for apprenticeships in Massachusetts.

 

“We know how foundational early education and care is for setting students up for school and lifelong success. Being an early childhood educator is a critically important job. I look forward to seeing how these partnerships support job seekers passionate about early education gain the skills and hands-on experience they need to join the field and meet their economic mobility goals,” said Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler.

 

"The Healey-Driscoll Administration appreciates the partnership with registered apprenticeship programs across Massachusetts, paving pathways for new talent to gain credentials as early childhood educators and adding workforce capacity to this critical sector,” said Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones. “By extending support to registered apprenticeship programs through these newly designated intermediaries, we look forward to advancing recruitment, training, and economic opportunity for this in-demand career pathway in regions throughout Massachusetts.”

 

In 2024, the three organizations selected for FCC intermediary support will collaborate to design a high-quality training program to support new FCCs through licensure and developing core educator competencies. Beginning in 2025, the three vendors will implement these programs by creating a system of program recruitment, mentorship pairing, and quality management, which aims to graduate a combined 250 FCC educators by 2026. These partnerships are the first round of investment from the administration that will leverage a total of $10 million in federal funds through the end of 2026 to support and expand on this work.

 

Further, the Community Group will help to create apprenticeship pathways that align to future credential standards for early-career educators and implement a system of program and educator recruitment across organizations in the Northeast region. This partnership builds on The Community Group’s existing apprenticeship programming.

 

“We have been working with the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and early childhood leaders to strengthen and expand apprenticeships that are key to a robust early education and care workforce. I am excited to be launching these new partnerships, with an intentional focus on our family child care programs, to support people to earn while they learn – helping us to recruit and retain qualified educators, while also promoting their economic mobility, leading to improved access to high-quality child care for Massachusetts’ youngest children and their families,” said Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw.

 

“Registered Apprenticeship offers a trusted blueprint for a skilled workforce. The Division of Apprentice Standards is pleased to work collaboratively with the Department of Early Education and Care to support these new partnerships and build our early childhood education team,” said Josh Cutler, Undersecretary for Apprenticeship, Work-Based Learning, and Policy.

 

One focus area for Governor Healey’s early education and child care task force is identifying strategies to recruit, train, upskill, and retain members of the child care workforce, including by expanding apprenticeship initiatives, higher education programs, and training opportunities. Additionally, EEC held a series of listening sessions in 2023 and 2024 with registered apprenticeship programs, professional development entities, and child care programs to identify opportunities for the state to bolster these types of supported pathways.

 

Apprenticeship programs are an effective workforce development model that provide mentor-supported on-the-job training, relevant technical instruction, paid work experience, and an industry recognized credential upon completion. These programs are a key strategy for both improving the quality of early-career educators and expanding the pipeline of educators and mentors. 

 

“The Community Group is thrilled to partner with EEC to serve as an apprenticeship intermediary, which will allow us to develop and expand accessible pathways into the field through our registered apprenticeship and teacher training programs. The educator pipeline is a critical component of a healthy early education system and has been a persistent challenge statewide, requiring responsive and proactive cross-agency collaboration. We are excited to scale innovative solutions that offer a pathway for entry into the field, particularly for those who face systemic barriers," said Maria Gonzalez Moeller, CEO of the Community Group. "The Community Group is committed to contributing to the health of our early education workforce and looks forward to leveraging this investment from EEC to make significant strides in training and supporting the next generation of early education professionals.”

 

“We are excited to continue our partnership with the Department of Early Education and Care to advance a thriving, equitable Commonwealth, uplifting and centering the needs of our communities,” said Daphne Principe-Griffin, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer at United Way of Massachusetts Bay. “Quality, culturally appropriate childcare where children live and play is a critical part of the solution. Family childcare educator/entrepreneurs not only help ensure young children have early learning environments to grow and thrive and families can go back to work with peace of mind, but they also contribute to our economy and our communities as new small business owners.”

 

“SEIU Education and Support Fund brings together early educators to design and facilitate worker-centered, relationship-based, and accessible education, apprenticeship, and training programs. We are thrilled to be part of this collaboration to bring pathways to entry into early education across Massachusetts," said Liz Sheehan Castro, Northeast Regional Child Care Director, SEIU ESF.

 

“We believe apprenticeship provides a solid foundation of all that early childhood education requires because of the competency-based approach. Educators get the opportunity to learn and apply theory immediately in their day-to-day practice. Our adult learners internalize their learning through this practice and by sharing experiences with their peers in class. Good teachers reflect, refine, and reapply their knowledge, adapting to their students’ needs daily,” said Leslie Baker, Program Director, Center for Childcare Careers at Family Services of Central MA.

波士頓慈濟劍橋市服務據點辦實用租約講座 舒安居律師釋疑解惑

波士頓慈濟的宋永麒(右起)、鄧淑芳和簡小芳(左三)一起送紀念品感謝
舒安居律師 之後，和2名學生合影。(周菊子攝)

               (Boston Orange 周菊子麻州報導) 慈濟基金會波士頓聯絡處的劍橋市服務據點開張，交由宋永麒、陳筠媞主持後，活動辦得如火如荼。9月20日晚舉辦「實用租房契約講座」，請到舒安居律師以真實案例故事配合每條租約細節，出席者聽得超有感，提問踴躍。

舒安居律師以實例解說租約細節。(周菊子攝)

              持聯邦專利律師資格，也在麻州註冊了的舒安居，經手過不少奇難雜症。他在這講座中，教人細看房屋租貸合約，淺談租客語房東的權利、義務，以實例提點避免租房糾紛的方法等等。

              舒安居指出，坊間通用的租約，主要有麻州政府和麻州房地產經紀協會的2種版本，內容差別不大。基本上麻州是個對租客十分友善的州，一旦房東和房客出現糾紛，告進法院，多半時候是房東損失大些，但這不表示租房子的人簽租約時，就可以不細看條約內容。

一名學生在講談結束後，向舒安居律師(左)深入請教如何解決
個人所遭遇的承租問題。(周菊子攝)

              在租約上的房東及承租者的姓名，郵寄地址，起租及結束日期，都必須先核實。尤其要注意，租約是一年期，還是逐月 (Month-to-Month)。

              如果一個不小心，租約上打勾的是逐月租，等於是給了房東每個月都可以調房租，只要給一個月通知，就可以不續租的權利。

波士頓慈濟在劍橋市新服務據點辦講座。(周菊子攝)

              租約上也千萬要註明居住者的姓名，尤其要注意租約中的多名租客貨住客這一項，如果和其他人合租，千萬要事先確認合租者身份，在這份租約中各自需要負擔的責任與義務。

              租約上也要清楚註明是否附家具，有哪些傢俱，房東若提供任何器具，例如冰箱、洗衣機、洗碗機等，租約上也要註明，否則很容易成為房東、房客爭執。

              出席者中的鄧淑芳還問及保險問題，一旦房屋失火、淹水，房屋、房客遭受財物損失，理賠責任在誰等。一名學生還在會後追問個人所遭遇狀況的最佳處理方式。

              舒安居在會末強調，人們在事前做功課，防患於未然之餘，千萬要記得，西方社會固然重視法治，但可能是時間或金錢，爭取正義得付代價。

Boston Public Health Commission Hosts Black Women’s Health Conference at Boston University to Address Critical Health Concerns

Boston Public Health Commission Hosts Black Women’s Health Conference at Boston University to Address Critical Health Concerns  

Registration is now open for EmpowerHer on October 4 

BOSTON – September 23, 2024 – Mayor Michelle Wu, the City of Boston, and the Boston Public Health Commission are hosting a one-day conference focused on addressing health inequities impacting Black women. The EmpowerHer Black Women’s Health Conference is on October 4, 2024, at Boston University from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. The event is free of charge, and all are encouraged to attend, but people must register online at boston.gov/empower-her.

The conference will specifically address maternal morbidity, and the impact of breast cancer, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and mental health disorders on Black women. EmpowerHer hopes to raise awareness of these issues, decrease disparities, and increase access to resources for women, and this inaugural conference will start a broader women's health initiative in Greater Boston. 

Black women face higher rates of morbidity and mortality from many disorders compared to women of other races and ethnicities. According to recent data from the Boston Public Health Commission, in 2023 Black women in Boston had more than twice the mortality rate for diabetes and breast cancer compared to white women and experienced a 54% higher premature mortality rate than white women. In 2021 preterm births were nearly double among Black residents (13.8%) compared to white residents (7.1%). Black women also had higher rates of mental health-related emergency department visits, including anxiety, depression, and PTSD. These disparities include increased morbidity and mortality during pregnancy compared to non-Black women. 

“As a woman and as a mother, I know how critical it is for women to have access to healthcare,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “We must prioritize initiatives that improve healthcare for Black women, and I hope this conference will help us better support Black women and reduce persistent inequities.”  

“Though Black women in Boston have experienced some improvements in health outcomes, stark disparities still exist in many areas, including maternal morbidity, cancer mortality and deaths due to diabetes,” said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Boston. “This is unacceptable. The EmpowerHer conference is a call-to-action to address persistent inequity and improve overall health and wellness among Black women like me.” 

EmpowerHer will feature panel discussions, keynote presentations, and networking opportunities. The president of Boston University, Dr. Melissa Gilliam, will serve as this year’s keynote speaker. 

“It is an honor for Boston University to host this critical conference that highlights the importance of advancing health equity for Black women and their families. I want to thank Mayor Wu, the City of Boston, Dr. Ojikutu, and the Boston Public Health Commission for their commitment to fostering meaningful dialogue and collaboration. Together, we aim to empower our community through shared knowledge and action,” said Dr. Melissa Gilliam, President of Boston University. 

“As the curator of the EmpowerHer Black Women’s Health Conference, I am deeply committed to creating a space where Black women can come together to celebrate, learn, and empower each other,” said Melissa Hector, Director of Equitable and Strategic Initiatives at the Boston Public Health Commission. “This conference is not just an event, it’s a movement to elevate the voices of Black women in health and wellness and drive meaningful change in our communities and beyond.” 

“Get Konnected! is proud to be a community partner of the Boston Public Health Commission. I want to applaud Dr. Ojikutu, Melissa Hector, chair of the EmpowerHer planning team, and the Commission for their visionary leadership in creating this inaugural Black women’s health conference. This is a powerful step toward empowering, educating, amplifying, and elevating Black women to take full responsibility for their health and well-being in all areas of their lives," said Colette Phillips, founder of Get Konnected!. 

WHO endorses dual-stain cytology (CINtec PLUS) testing in its cervical cancer prevention guidelines, advancing patient care and underlining Roche’s role in pioneering cervical cancer solutions

WHO endorses dual-stain cytology (CINtec PLUS) testing in its cervical cancer prevention guidelines, advancing patient care and underlining Roche’s role in pioneering cervical cancer solutions

 

• Roche’s CINtec PLUS Cytology is the only FDA-approved and CE-marked dual-stain test to triage human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive cervical cancer screening test results
• Dual-stain biomarkers aid in detection of cervical precancer and may reduce the number of women who undergo unnecessary colposcopy procedures while allowing earlier intervention for those who are at higher risk of developing cervical cancer.
• This recognition follows the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP)’s recent inclusion of dual-stain testing in cervical cancer screening guidelines, as well as other WHO prequalifications of Roche’s cobas HPV test
  

Basel, 23 September 2024 - Roche (SIX: RO, ROG; OTCQX: RHHBY) announced today that the World Health Organization (WHO) has included dual-stain cytology testing in its cervical cancer prevention guideline.¹ The Roche CINtec® PLUS Cytology test is the only FDA-approved and CE-marked dual-stain test that helps identify human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive individuals who are most at risk of developing cervical precancer and cancer.

The WHO joins the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), which in March also updated its cervical cancer screening guidelines² to include dual-stain as a triage test for HPV-positive individuals. If the dual-stain test is positive, the patient is at higher risk of having or developing precancer or cancer, and clinicians should recommend immediate colposcopy. However, if the dual-stain test is negative, the risk of precancer is low and individuals may follow up by retesting at a later time to determine if their body has taken care of the infection and eliminated the risk on its own. This may result in fewer women unnecessarily undergoing colposcopy procedures.

“Adding dual-stain cytology to the WHO guidelines further reinforces the value of our biomarker-based CINtec PLUS Cytology test to identify patients with an elevated risk of cervical cancer,” said Matt Sause, CEO of Roche Diagnostics. “HPV infections can cause cervical cancer, a potentially deadly disease that is highly preventable. Consequently, it is critical to determine who is most at risk.”

The CINtec PLUS Cytology test can simultaneously detect when two biomarkers (p16 and Ki-67) are present within the same cell – a strong indicator that it is undergoing transformation and may turn cancerous. By identifying those individuals who are at higher risk of developing cervical disease, CINtec PLUS Cytology helps provide labs, clinicians and patients with important information to guide patient management. This could reduce the number and frequency of follow-up visits, saving worry, time and money. The test can be performed using the same liquid sample that is used for HPV or Pap cytology testing, eliminating the need for additional or repeat sample collection.

The revised WHO guidelines represent an important step forward in achieving the organisation’s three cervical cancer elimination goals³, and a catalyst for ensuring that 90% of those identified with cervical disease receive appropriate treatment. With the recent news that the WHO has awarded prequalification designation to the cobas® HPV test on the cobas 4800, Roche’s entire portfolio of HPV tests on the 4800, 5800, 6800 and 8800 systems is now WHO prequalification-approved for both clinician-collected and self-collected samples.

About the Roche Cervical Cancer Portfolio
HPV is the known cause of more than 95% of all cervical cancers.⁴ Roche’s cervical cancer portfolio includes the cobas HPV test, used for primary screening and co-testing. While Pap cytology can potentially detect abnormalities in the cervix, cobas HPV detects 14 types of high-risk HPV genotypes that put patients at higher risk of developing cervical cancer. It includes results for HPV 16, HPV 18 and 12 other high-risk pooled genotypes.³

The HPV self-collection solution is approved for use with Roche's cobas HPV test. The cobas HPV test runs on the cobas 4800 and the fully automated cobas 5800/6800/8800 Systems, which offer the fastest time to results, providing up to 96 results in about three hours, and 384 results for the cobas 6800 System and 1,056 results for the cobas 8800 System in an eight hour shift. The portfolio also includes CINtec PLUS Cytology, the only FDA-approved dual-stain cytology product and CINtec Histology, the only FDA-cleared p16 biomarker technology that can help pathologists confirm the presence of pre-cancerous cervical lesions. The CINtec PLUS Cytology test can run on the BenchMark ULTRA IHC/ISH system. In countries accepting the CE mark, the CINtec PLUS Cytology test can be used to triage HPV-positive results.

The IMPACT trial, used to validate the clinical performance of the Roche cervical cancer portfolio, had representation from diverse patient segments, including 21 percent Black, 24 percent Hispanic-Latino and 0.3 percent American Indian or Alaskan Native participants.⁵ This diversity was critical to accurately assess the performance of the cobas HPV test and dual stain cytology in patient populations with higher incident rates of HPV. Learn more now: http://diagnostics.roche.com. 

Roche is piloting a disease management software called navify® Cervical Screening. It aims to support health systems to increase adherence to clinical guidelines, reduce under- and over-testing and optimise healthcare resources with an organised approach to screening.

Methuen市長Neil Perry辭世 麻州長發文哀悼

 Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll Issue Statement on Passing of Methuen Mayor Neil Perry 

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll issued the following statement on the passing of Methuen Mayor Neil Perry: 

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mayor Neil Perry and the Methuen community. Mayor Perry was a wonderful and caring person, and a strong and courageous leader. He believed in and gave so much to his community. He will be deeply missed. Our administration is prepared to support the City of Methuen during this difficult time.” 

第16屆波士頓亞美電影節訂10月17日開幕 10/26 特別放映「INTERIOR CHINATOWN」

波士頓亞美電影節創辦人甄翠嬿(左)和副主任陳曉瑩(右) 宣佈第16屆影展訂
10月17日至27日舉行。(周菊子攝)

               (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 第16屆波士頓亞美電影節 (BAAFF)將特別放映游朝凱 (Charles Yu) 所製作「內景唐人街 (Interior Chinatown) 」，訂10月17日至27日，分別在劍橋市布瑞托 (Brattle)戲院，波士頓市愛默生派拉蒙中心 (Emerson Paramount Center) ，以及網上舉行，另放映3部劇情片，3部紀錄片，6部短片。

波士頓亞美電影節志工描述影片，籲請支持者參加9月30日高爾夫球賽等活動，
謝祝影展籌款。(周菊子攝)

              「內景唐人街」是游朝凱以他所撰寫，2020年獲得美國國家書卷獎最佳小說獎的同名小說為基礎所製作，預定2024年11月19日在Hulu網路上開播第一輯，共10輯的電視劇。

              該小說原作，已於2022年發行中文版，探討流行文化、移民及種族同化等議題，有書評形容該書是”對亞洲人的刻板印象的尖銳控訴，以及在這個快速變化的世界中感覺被忽視的被遺棄者的寓言”。

志工們在影展前派對展示相關文宣。(周菊子攝)

              波士頓亞美電影節在本屆電影節中，特別安排於10月26日 (週六) 下午2點及晚上6點半，在愛默生派拉蒙中心放映2場。這場特別放映會票價30元，購票觀眾還可參加4點半在帝苑大酒樓舉行的接待會及簽書會。

              波士頓亞美電影節創辦人甄翠嬿 (Susan Chiensen) 和電影節主任陳曉瑩 (Connie Chan)和電影節志工9月19日晚在包氏文藝中心 (Pao Arts Center)舉辦預告派對，向支持者匯報，今年有「我們所愛的一切 (All That We Love) 」和「未來日期 (Future Date)」這2

陳曉瑩表示，影展期間有許多義工從旁協助。(周菊子攝)

部片，在新英格蘭地區首映，除了開幕片在布瑞托戲院放映之外，其餘各片都在愛默生派拉蒙中心，以及網上放映，電影街將放映那些影片，邀得那些導演隨片登台，還有9月22日前購票，領取優惠碼，可享有10%折扣等細節。

第16屆波士頓亞美電影節要放映共13部影片。

              2部劇情片，以及1部紀錄片，分別由主辦單位安排為開幕、中場，閉幕片，依序為訂10月17日 (週四) 晚7點在部瑞托戲院放映的開幕片，陳俊彥 (Yen Tan)執導的「我們所愛的一切 (All That We Love) 」，訂10月18日(週五) 晚6點在艾默生派拉蒙中心放映，Quyén Nguyen-Le執導的「宮本信子：一首動感之歌(Nobuko Miyamoto: A Song in Movement)」，以及訂10月20日 (週日)下午4點半在愛默生派拉蒙中心放映，Ramona Diaz執導的「一切就這樣開始了 (And So it Begins)」。前述各片導演，都將隨片登台，和觀眾座談。

              另1部劇情片，以及2部紀錄片，分別為訂10月19日(週六)下午5點放映，由Stanley Wong執導的「未來日期 (Future Date)」，10月19日晚上8點半放映由Elixabeth Ai執導的「新浪潮 (New Wave)」，10月20日(週日)下午1點半，由Kenji Tsukamoto執導的「Ashima」。

波士頓台灣影展協會共會長林致中 (左)到場支持友會活動。(周菊子攝)

              6部短片中，有2部片既有現場，也可網上觀賞，分別為訂10月18日(週五)晚上8點半放映，游Hao Zhou執導的「哦，酷兒 (Oh, Queer)」，訂10月19日(週六)下午1點半放映，由Mona Xia 和Erin Ramirez執導的「橋接兩個世界 (Bridging Two Worlds)」。其餘「苦樂參半16 (Bittersweet 16)」、「童年奇蹟(Childhood Wonders)」、「別告訴你父母 (Don’t Tell Your Parents)」、「不是你的模範少數族裔 (Not Your Model Minority)」、4部短片，將只在網上放映。

              第16屆波士頓亞美電影節已開始預售門票，開幕及閉幕場門票20元，劇情片及短片，現場15元，特別放映30元，另有套票150元，以及觀賞所有短片的套票65元。

              查詢影片詳情可上網https://baaff.org/2024-schedule，以及https://mailchi.mp/aarw/baaff-live2024。