Recap: Coffee & Conversation: 9:30 Call on the Road!

On March 20, the Boston Foundation, in partnership with Strategies for Children, hosted a community conversation celebrating the Sixth Anniversary of the 9:30 Call, a statewide early childhood convening born in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Danubia Camargos Silva, Senior Program Officer for Child Well-Being at The Boston Foundation, opened the event by emphasizing the Foundation’s commitment to equity, partnership, and strengthening early childhood systems. She highlighted the 9:30 Call as a powerful example of connection and collective action.

After her welcome, the event moved into a familiar format for 9:30 Call regulars—a series of shorter conversations, which for this special session, focused on topics with a theme of Building Community.

Building Community: Connecting People to People

This first conversation featured Aliza Kopans, Early Childhood Policy Pathways Fellow at East Boston Social Centers, and Mo Barbosa, Senior Director of Community Engagement at Health Resources in Action. Kopans reflected on community-rooted leadership and the inclusive culture of the 9:30 Call. Barbosa described his decades-long work in public health and emphasized intentional relationship‑building across lines of difference. He spoke to the importance of demonstrating care, creating parity in decision-making, and recognizing that communities thrive when all voices—particularly those historically marginalized—are welcomed and elevated.

Connecting People to Policy & The Origins of the 9:30 Call

For the second conversation, Shaakira Parker, Early Childhood Policy Pathways Fellow at Strategies for Children, and Amy O’Leary, Executive Director of Strategies for Children and host of the 9:30 Call, reflected on how the call emerged in March 2020 as a rapid-response space to share accurate information and build solidarity. O’Leary described its evolution—from daily crisis check-ins to a sustained statewide community grounded in transparency, vulnerability, and “leading with love.” She noted the call’s expansion into evening sessions and multilingual versions in Spanish and Portuguese, increasing access for educators and families.

Connecting People to Power

The final segment of this extended call shifted from a conversation to a broader panel discussion. Moderated by Daigneris Garcia, Director of Communications at Strategies for Children, the panel included kate warren barnes (ZERO TO THREE), Edna Cabral (Edna’s Little Garden and co-host of the 9:30 Call in Portuguese), Kim Davenport (Edward Street), and Eugenia Soiles (MA Department of Early Education & Care). Panelists discussed how the 9:30 Call fosters belonging, strengthens local networks, and creates pathways for community members to influence policy. Davenport shared how the call became a trusted lifeline and later a platform for reciprocal learning. Cabral described launching the Portuguese-language call to ensure linguistic equity. Soiles highlighted how state policy is strengthened when educators and families shape regulatory decisions. Barnes reflected on how the call inspired her own community-building work and sustained her through professional transitions.

In closing, Camargos Silva uplifted the themes of love, abundance, and shared responsibility. She urged continued collaboration to transform early childhood systems and affirmed the Boston Foundation’s commitment to supporting community-led change.