Community Connections Luncheon

On May 7, 2026, the BU Wheelock Institute for Early Childhood Well‑Being (EC Institute) hosted its first Community Connections Luncheon, bringing together Boston University researchers and community organizations to share innovative collaborations, surface needs, and foster new partnerships supporting young children’s well‑being. The event included a panel discussion with community partners with long-standing collaborations with BU researchers, followed by a Q&A session and group discussions.

Panel Discussion:

  • Cheryl Milchev (Infant-Toddler Coordinator, ABCD Head Start and Children’s Services) described how her collaboration between BU-ABCD co‑created an adaptation of a “conversation compass” for infants and toddlers, developed with classroom observations, teacher recordings, and one‑on‑one coaching. In this ongoing collaboration, the next steps include strengthening early intervention linkages for bilingual children.
  • Aditi Subramaniam (LMHC, R-DMT, IECMH-E, Director, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Policy, Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) discussed two BU collaborations focused on early childhood mental health. An implementation‑science evaluation tool to assess workforce training impact across promotion/prevention/intervention, and a statewide systems‑mapping project to identify training resources and workforce gaps. Equity, shared language, and relationship‑based co‑creation were central to both efforts.
  • Sue O’Donnell (LMHC, Director of Early Childhood Trauma Services, Institute for Health and Recovery — BRIGHT) spoke about a longstanding, federally funded dyadic intervention for families affected by parental substance use. The BU partnership, which included program evaluation and clinical input, helped adapt interventions and measures, promoted national dissemination, and supported workforce pipelines (i.e., BU graduates hired onto the project).
  • TeeAra Dias (Executive Director, Early Childhood Department, Boston Public Schools) highlighted the Nuestros Niños Program, a BU‑partnered professional development program for early educators of multilingual learners that combines virtual college-level coursework, coaching, and classroom visits to strengthen instructional practice and home–school partnerships.

Round-Table Discussion: 

The participants, who were a mix of BU researchers and representatives of community organizations, engaged in round-table discussions to identify ideas for new partnerships. The priority areas that arose from these conversations were:

  • Leadership development and supports for newly promoted early childhood supervisors
  • Systems to deepen engagement among educators, families, and researchers
  • Policy and implementation evaluation for early childhood mental health (including links to social determinants such as paid leave and income support)
  • Development of statewide data infrastructure and improved measures to support advocacy
  • Practical supports to empower parents and educators in early learning foundations

Overall, the event was a success and there was a general request to repeat this luncheon.