Shifting state and federal guidance created an urgent communications challenge for a statewide early childhood organization and its network of local partners. Staff and partners needed to align public-facing messaging with updated requirements from state and federal policymakers. Failure to do so could jeopardize compliance and put funding– and the services families relied on – at risk.
Leaders needed a coordinated approach that local partners could apply in conversations with policymakers, families, business leaders, and the media. The challenge was to meet changing requirements while staying true to the organization’s mission, clearly communicating its value, and preserving the local stories that made its work meaningful.
E&V developed a messaging framework and communications tool kit to give the organization and its partners a consistent foundation for outreach. The approach connected early childhood services to priorities relevant to diverse audiences, including school readiness, family stability, workforce participation, and local economic strength, helping the organization communicate its value across audiences with differing political and policy perspectives.
The framework established core messages alongside tailored guidance for legislators, business leaders, community members, and partners. Designed as a living resource, it allowed the organization to update messaging as state and federal guidance evolved.
E&V translated that framework into practical tools to help staff and partners communicate the organization’s impact, engage stakeholders, and navigate sensitive issues.
To support implementation, E&V led eight trainings: two for staff, five for local partners across the state, and one for the organization’s board. Sessions covered audiencepriorities, message delivery, and use of the tool kit. Practice scenarios helped participants apply the guidance to legislative inquiries, community conversations, and questions about changing policy expectations.
The organization adopted the tool kit and shared it across its statewide network, giving staff and local partners a common foundation for communicating in a changing policy environment.
With shared messaging, outreach tools, and clear escalation guidance, the organization equipped its network to explain its value, engage policymakers, and navigate sensitive questions. Partners could connect local stories to a consistent statewide message, keeping the organization’s mission central while aligning communications with expectations tied to its funding.
The state budget maintained the organization’s base funding and provided more than $10 million in new, primarily nonrecurring investments in early literacy, childcare workforce development, and behavioral and mental health services.
