PITTSFIELD, Mass. Dec. 02, 2014– Hillcrest Educational Centers and Endicott College’s Van Loan School have partnered to offer a local graduate program.  The program will offer dual certification with a Masters in Education and certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA).

The Certificate Program in Applied Behavior Analysis at the Van Loan School is a unique, advanced-level teacher preparation program focused on the application of behavioral principles in addressing the needs of exceptional learners. The program fulfills the educational requirements to sit for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) examination.  

Individuals who hold a graduate degree in special education, psychology, or a related field and who are seeking certification as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), may also enroll in Endicott’s BACB-approved, six-course sequence in preparation for the certification examination.  

Todd Castine, Director of Autism Services at Hillcrest Educational Centers stated, “This is an exciting time for Hillcrest and the local community.  Hillcrest will have the opportunity to recruit high quality candidates to study Special Education and Applied Behavior Analysis with the hope that they will also be interested in working in the Autism Spectrum Disorder field.   It is our hope that graduates will develop their skills with us and then continue to work here at Hillcrest and throughout the Berkshires”.
  
For more information about this program please contact Todd Castine, Director of Autism Services at Hillcrest Educational Centers at 413-637-2834 ext. 225 or tcastine@hillcrestec.org.

About Hillcrest Educational Centers

A top Berkshire County employer Hillcrest Educational Centers is a private not-for-profit organization, providing therapeutic treatment and special education to children and adolescents with unique psychological and learning needs, in Berkshire County, Massachusetts and the Northeast. Campuses include a day student academy and three residential schools. They are also a resource for a broad range of psychological services, counseling and evaluations for individuals, families and schools in Berkshire County through Hillcrest Community Support Services. Hillcrest also operates Hillcrest Dental Care, Inc., a complete general family dentistry practice. Hillcrest Dental Care is the largest provider in Western Massachusetts of oral healthcare services to MassHealth recipients and special needs patients. In 2010, Hillcrest formalized an affiliation with Berkshire County Kids’ Place and Violence Prevention Center, Inc., a fully accredited Children’s Advocacy Center for child abuse victims and their non-offending family members. Visit our Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn pages under Hillcrest Educational Centers.

About Endicott College 

Located in Beverly, Massachusetts on 235 acres of oceanfront property, Endicott College offers doctorate, Master’s and bachelor degree programs in the professional and liberal arts.  Founded in 1939, Endicott provides an education built upon a combination of theory and practice, which is tested through internships and work experience.  Studying at the Beverly campus, regionally, and internationally are approximately 2,500 undergraduate and more than 2,700 adult and graduate students. For more information, visit www.endicott.edu.


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Media Contact:
Hillcrest Educational Centers, Inc.
Katrina Cardillo
Director of Communications
413-499-7924 ext. 114
kcardillo@hillcrestec.org