UMass Donahue Institute

“Thousands!”

That’s how Anne Teschner, former and longtime executive director of The Care Center in Holyoke, Massachusetts, responded when asked how many of their clients have been positively affected by the work of the UMass Donahue Institute. 

The Care Center is a transformative program for young mothers involved with the welfare system and other low-income women whose educations have been interrupted by poverty, parenting and other responsibilities. The institute’s Organizational & Community Solutions (OCS) group works directly with mission-driven clients to create cultures and systems that strengthen learning, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability.

Sharon Vardatira, the Donahue Institute’s director of Organizational and Community Solutions, first began working with The Care Center in 1998. “Anne Teschner was intent on reframing The Care Center’s purpose from helping pregnant and parenting teens obtain their GED to enabling them to access and succeed in college,” Sharon recalls, “The driving principle was that young mothers in poverty should have the same opportunities as their wealthier non-parenting peers. College degrees are a real way out of poverty.”

Teschner, who led The Care Center for 25 years until her retirement in 2023, described the evolution: “Our GED program for teen mothers started in 1988. It was a radical idea to add a humanities slant to youth development. This approach led The Care Center to receive the Presidential Youth Program award for Arts and Humanities in 2012, and was one of twelve nationally. More than 75% of the young mother graduates went on to college. When I started, we were working with about a hundred young women. They hadn’t dropped out because of a lack of intelligence but because the public school system had failed them. Many became pregnant after leaving school.”

Working closely with Teschner and her staff, Vardatira helped develop the action steps and program structure for this new, reimagined version of The Care Center, one that reflected their shared vision. “The original GED program was a grind, and attendance was spotty,” Vardatira explained. “Positive Youth Development research emphasized the power of engaging young people in meaningful, creative learning. Teschner’s inspiration was to enrich the GED curriculum with courses and activities you’d expect in an exclusive prep school – humanities, art, theater, poetry – experiences that not only build academic skills but help students connect with themselves and the world.”

The results from these added “enhanced” activities were almost immediate: attendance improved and students were more engaged and enthusiastic about learning. Through Vardatira’s grant writing, The Care Center secured a pivotal five-year federal grant to support implementation of the new enhanced curriculum, along with an evaluation that identified which activities most effectively engaged students and what obstacles still impeded students’ success. Early poetry and arts coursework have continued to grow over the past two decades. Today, The Care Center publishes an annual anthology of student poems and artwork – now in its 23rd year – and boasts an on-site art studio and art faculty.

The enhancements also extended beyond the classroom. Athletics, including rowing, running, and yoga, became an essential part of the program. “The rowing program wasn’t just about pushing a boat through water,” said Teschner. “It built math and science skills, environmental awareness, leadership, and – perhaps most important – helped young mothers feel empowered and physically strong, which in turn fueled their confidence to succeed academically and personally.”

The Logical Next Step: College

With steady encouragement and a culture that championed higher education as a pathway out of poverty, The Care Center saw more than 75% of its GED graduates enroll in college. Yet many found that traditional colleges lacked the support systems necessary for single parents living below the poverty line to thrive.

“If you give young women what they need to succeed, they will succeed,” said Teschner. “They needed both access to college and a structure that supported their efforts.”

Undaunted, Teschner reached out to Bard College, a prestigious liberal arts institution in New York already offering degree programs in unconventional settings. After a year of collaboration, Bard Microcollege Holyoke was launched as a fully accredited, tuition-free associate degree program located within The Care Center itself. Open to Care Center graduates and other low-income women, the Bard Microcollege is the first of its kind in the nation.

The Donahue Institute supported the planning process that led to creation of the microcollege and wrote key grants that made the program possible, including both initial funding and the resources for student support services that would evolve over time.

Monica Diaz, a Bard Microcollege alumna, reflected on her experience:
“I was always told to go to college, but I didn’t know how. Bard opened a door I never thought possible. My transition counselor at The Care Center guided me every step of the way, and my classmates built a babysitting network for each other in addition to the free on-site day care. That support made all the difference.”

Diaz earned her associate’s degree in liberal arts from Bard College and is now pursuing her bachelor’s in psychology. She is now a full-time staff member at The Care Center, helping young mothers move out of poverty, attain their degrees and be in a better place for their families now and in the future.      

How the Donahue Institute Made a Difference

Whether enhancing the GED program or securing funding for the Bard Microcollege, the Donahue Institute’s contributions took several forms:

• Strategic Grant Development: The institute helped frame The Care Center’s innovative ideas in language that resonated with funders, successfully securing more than $30 million in public and private grants over two decades.
• Collaborative Program Design and Evaluation: Institute staff designed and implemented several Care Center evaluations to measure outcomes and inform program design.
• Long-Range Planning: The institute has facilitated several comprehensive strategic planning processes to guide The Care Center’s continued growth and sustainability.
• Resource Identification: The institute helped uncover and leverage opportunities that aligned with the organization’s mission.

“We’re philosophically clear that our role is to help clients realize their mission,” said Vardatira. “It’s not about us or our vision. Our clients are the experts on their own communities, and their leadership is the real engine of systemic change.”

Today, the UMass Donahue Institute continues to partner with The Care Center, most recently helping current Executive Director Oona Cook renew two foundational grants with the MA Department of Transitional Assistance and the MA Department of Early Education and Care. These grants fund essential supports such as childcare, transportation, meals, dental and mental health care, and case management, which help ensure that every student has the foundation to succeed.

About the UMass Donahue Institute
Established in 1971, the UMass Donahue Institute is a public service and engagement arm of the University of Massachusetts. Our mission is to foster healthy communities and support inclusive economies that alleviate poverty and promote opportunity. In collaboration with partner organizations and clients, we carry out our mission through research, education and training, capacity building, and direct services to strengthen our collective impact.

The institute’s Organizational & Community Solutions group partners with mission-driven nonprofits, government and public agencies, community groups, and coalitions to create cultures and systems that advance learning, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability. They help their partners turn vision and intent into action and results. Learn more. 

October 31, 2025