Strategies for Children is working to better integrate The Early Childhood Agenda and The 9:30 Call. Starting this fall and continuing through 2026, we will feature guests who can speak to the many priority areas of The Early Childhood Agenda on The 9:30 Call. Join us to hear presenters from outside early education and care who are contributing to a stronger early childhood system. You can also connect around cross-sector issues and learn how to join policy and advocacy efforts at the state and local level.
Today, we are continuing our 9:30 Call series on No Small Feat, a new statewide effort at supporting young children and families. Our guests are Rachel Gwaltney, executive director of the Children’s League of Massachusetts, and Jennifer Valenzuela, executive director of the Children’s Trust. They will provide updates on the child welfare omnibus bill and the Commonwealth’s planned technology updates and their potential impact on social services. The kick off of the No Small Feat series was on the December 2nd 9:30 Call when Valenzuela shared information on Massachusetts’ Initiative to Reduce Child Neglect, a call to build a coordinated, equitable, and prevention-focused system that supports families across the Commonwealth.
On the December 4th 9:30 Call, our guest was Natasha Hernandez, Lead Community Navigator at Worcester Community Action Council. Hernandez spoke about financial coaching, guaranteed basic income, and other initiatives for families led by the WCAC’s Resiliency Center.
Hernandez’ colleague Maydee Morales was one of the panelists at our Early Childhood Summit in October. Morales’ panel, “Together in Worcester: Building a Stronger Early Childhood System,” featured cross-sector system change work happening in Worcester through the lens of the Early Childhood Agenda’s five action areas:
- Financially Secure Families
- High-Quality Experiences
- Thriving Early Childhood Workforce
- Robust System Infrastructure and Local Partnerships, and
- Healthy Beginnings
Coming up on January 12th, The 9:30 Call will feature the Healthy Families Tax Credits Coalition. Representatives of the coalition will discuss their tax credits public awareness campaign for this year’s tax season.
Let us know if you have ideas for guests who can speak to our five action areas. Email Titus DosRemedios at tdosremedios@strategiesforchildren.org with your suggestions.
To connect further with The Early Childhood Agenda, join our virtual winter convening on Thursday, January 15th, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. Please register here.
And be sure to sign up for The 9:30 Call to receive weekly email updates with the call schedule.