Getting the Message Out

Direct Communication strategies

Local Authorities undertake a wealth of communication activities very week and have a wide range of communications tools available to deploy in the effort to communicate about the two-year-old offer to parents.

These include but are not exclusive to:

  • Websites
  • Social media
  • Newsletters and free-sheets
  • Email updates
  • Community forums and meetings
  • Communications from Councillors including the Leader or directly elected Mayor
  • Advertising
  • Press and media
  • Events
  • Plasma screens in council buildings

Each of these potential mediums can and should be utilised to maximum effect in the effort to communicate about the new offer to parents. As this a major new Council initiative your Council’s communications team are likely to have a key role to play in this.

Working with them, you will want to be thinking about the appropriate phasing of communications activities alongside your operational delivery plan.

This might include:

1)Considering when you and your providers will be ready to deal with an influx of interest triggered by a big publicity drive;

2)When you want to turn awareness raising into registrations;

3)When your monitoring mechanisms tell you whether your comms effort is working or whether you need to do more to reach eligible families to meet your 2013/14 targets;

4)When might be a good time to start highlighting successes – personal stories of the benefits of the new offer etc;

5)Utilising all the potential communications tools and opportunities available to you.

This toolkit includes communications collateral which we hope will be helpful including posters, a parent’s leaflet, a press release, a newspaper advert and a suite of key messages.

On-line and social media

Increasingly digital and social media are recognised as key tools for communicating with a range of audiences. This includes a growing number of service providers, public bodies, charities and others who recognise that some more traditional forms of communications – including direct mail, traditional media like newspapers, and bill board advertising were of less relevance, particularly to younger audiences.

With the majority of people now accessing social media via their smart-phones many of the parents who are the target audience for the two-year-old offer will be using the various social media sites several times a day. Other key stakeholders including childcare providers, local community groups etc are now also active on social media.

Though for many social media began as a way of keeping in touch with friends and family – it is now used by many to keep up to date with things they are interested in – including what is going on or is available in their area.

Your council’s communication team will already be using social media to promote the work of the council and its services – and there will be a social media protocol which will determine who, what, when and how social media is used. Talk to the person who coordinates this about how to use social media to promote the two-year-old offer.

Here are a few key things to keep in mind:

  • Think about what you want to say and to whom – it’s like any other form of communications in that sense.
  • Remember – social media is a conversation not just a ‘broadcast’, you will engage people most effectively if you encourage them into a two-way dialogue.
  • Lots of your key local stakeholders will be on social media sites so encourage them to ‘follow’, ‘like’ and ‘share’ your activities. And in return do the same – as appropriate within your council’s social media rules.
  • Promote your social media feeds on-line but also include them in the contact details that you add to the posters and leaflets. Just because it is social media doesn’t mean you can’t promote your feeds off-line.
  • Don’t forget other forms of online engagement beyond social media – there will be websites and local forums where some of your audience might go e.g.Netmums local sites, community websites etc.
  • Think about working with partners – websites like Netmums, Mumsnet, Disability websites etc. will likely have more users than the local authority homepage, and can reach a larger audience.

CharityComms has produced two fantastic guides to social media – including a practical guide to getting started. You can access them at

Indirect communication strategies – utilising the reach of key stakeholders

There are a wide range of stakeholders who interface with parents who have children who are eligible for the two-year-old offer. The more of these stakeholders that you can get positively, engaged in spreading the message the better.

TIER ONE STAKEHOLDERS

  1. Parents

Parents who have utilised free early education either as part of two-year-old pilots or for their 3 and 4 year olds can be fantastic champions for the benefits both for children and parents. Research for this programme has found that parents really value and trust hearing about childcare – both in general and about specific childcare providers – from other parents.

Parent Champions usually work closely with the local Family Information Service and Children’s Centres, to encourage parents to seek more information about what services or providers best meet their needs.

But in addition to the learning and social benefits, a detailed analysis of the Social Return on Investment (SROI) undertaken by the Day Care Trust shows that investment in Parent Champions pays for itself many times over.The final calculation from the project showed that the total benefit to society in money terms was £1,075,567 – a more than 12-fold return on the total original investment of £84,092.

Marketing ideas:

Parent Champions can be utilised in a number of ways including:

  • Drop-in information sessions
  • Informal workshops in community locations;
  • Contact-building at children’s activities, such as stay and play and health sessions atchildren’s centres and library reading programmes;
  • Targeted door knocking in the community to reach parents that are not already in contact with services.
  1. Children’s Centres / Health visitors:

Children’s Centres and health visitors are the most important partners you have in reaching target families to ensure they know about the new offer. They work every day with many of the families that will be eligible and in many cases are valued as trusted professionals whose advice is sought and valued. They also have a mutual, professional interest in helping many of these same families to ensure their children get the best start in life.
Key argument / Approach:

In addition to arguments about the potential benefits of early education to this group that health visitors and Children’s Centre staff will be familiar with, it is worth noting that if children are accessing the two-year-old offer this may allow them to access back to work, parenting or other support at the Centre.

It is absolutely vital that when children’s centres are carrying out outreach work, and drawing people in to access the free two-year-old offer, they operate a ‘warm welcome’ approach. Parents and carers, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, often feel anxious or reluctant to engage with settings – and overcoming these feelings is vital to encouraging parents to engage with early education.

Settings should be warm and welcoming to both parents and children, and professionals should ensure that parents’ fears are allayed, that they are not made to feel inadequate or overwhelmed by their need for information, and that they are persuaded to access the setting – rather than expected to. The use of a ‘warm welcome’ approach can substantially increase take-up of two year old places.

Marketing ideas:

  • Children’s centres offer the opportunity to informally meet some potentially eligible parents at stay and play and other sessions. They may be great places to hold ‘meet the childminder’ sessions or for parent champions to discuss their experience with target families.
  • Children’s Centre outreach workers should be able to provide advice on where to target promotions and door to door flyer drops.
  • Advertising materials within the centres on notice boards
  • Include details in their promotions emails / newsletters
  • Staff and partner health professionals to spread the word among the families they support
  1. Nurseries, pre-schools, play-groups, childminders and childcare providers

Nurseries,pre-schools, play-groups and childminders will be providing the free entitlement and as such will play a vital role in communicating with parents; and share a mutual interest in doing so. Providers can spread the word as part of their planned marketing strategies and to existing or former clients who may have eligible children.

Key argument / Approach:

The offer will provide a welcome boost to some local providers who are likely to see demand for their services increase. Families who experience the benefits of high quality education and care may wish to continue using the services for other siblings or may spread the word about the positive experience they’ve had throughout the wider community.

As with children’s centres, it is absolutely vital that settings operate a ‘warm welcome’ approach. Parents and carers, particularly those from disadvantaged communities, often feel anxious or reluctant to engage with settings – and overcoming these feelings is vital to encouraging parents to engage with early education.

Settings should be warm and welcoming to both parents and children, and professionals should ensure that parents’ fears are allayed, that they are not made to feel inadequate or overwhelmed by their need for information, and that they are persuaded to access the setting – rather than expected to.

Marketing ideas:

  • Nurseries, pre-schools, play-groups to advertise the free entitlement within their settings;
  • Spread the word among the families they work with / meet.
  • Include promotions within advertising channels for their business / parent emails or newsletters
  • Distribute / display leaflets within the setting.

[NOTE – NDNA have been commissioned to undertake a separate piece of work on supporting LAs in communicating the two-year-old offer to providers. To find out more about this work and how to learn from its outcomes contact your A2YO Regional Lead.]

  1. Schools

Schools are a key partner in promoting the offer as many families who have children of school age will also have younger children who may qualify for the free entitlement. Schools may also be able to help identify those families who qualify for free school meals and may therefore be eligible to take up the offer for their younger children.

Key argument / Approach: By helping to promote the take up of the two year old offer, schools can play a key role in improving the school readiness of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. In doing so they can also help to reduce social inequality and raise educational attainment across typically under-performing social groups.

Marketing ideas:

  • Schools could advertise the offer to parents via school noticeboards, parent forums and information that is sent to parents to inform of parents evenings / school trips etc. They may wish to target at Reception class and younger children to increase the likelihood of reaching the target age group.
  • Schools with onsite children’s centres or nurseries are likely to be particularly receptive to working closely with you to ensure strong communication of the offer to parents.
  1. Jobcentre Plus and Work Programme Providers

Families on some of the key qualifying benefits will be in regular contact with their local Jobcentre Plus or Work Programme provider. Jobcentre Plus also have significant data on families in receipt of benefits and in the future on Universal Credit.

Key argument / Approach:

Parents accessing the two-year-old offer may feel better able to begin to engage with training or work. In addition, accessing 15 hours a week of free childcare may help remove one of the biggest barriers parents see in entering work – the cost of childcare.

Marketing ideas:

  • At ‘work focused interviews’ and review meetings, Jobcentre Plus can identify those families who are eligible and encourage the parent to take up the offer.
  • They may also be willing to promote the offer on notice boards and distribute leaflets within the building.

[NOTE – Government is working at a national level to try and overcome some of the data sharing issues that still persist at a local level. Speak to your A2YO Regional Lead for more information.]

  1. Local Charities, Churches and faith groups, and parent toddler groups

For those amongst your target group of families that are typically less likely to actively engage with ‘state’ or official services, faith and other local community groups are in a stronger position to get the message across than you are. Churches, faith and other community groups hold strong credibility within many families and can act as strong opinion formers in particular for some BME communities.

Key argument \ Approach:

By helping topromotethe offer, local community groups can play a key role in reducing social and health inequalities among the families they support and improve educational attainment for the most vulnerable children in the community.

Marketing ideas:

  • To promote the entitlement within existing communication channels including on websites, newsletters, notice boards and social media.
  • To spread the word in their day to day interactions with vulnerable families
  • Local charities may also be able to provide assistance in communicating the offer in languages spoken by target minority ethnic groups.

Tier Two stakeholders

  1. GP surgeries / Health centres or clinics

Local health services are regarded as highly credible sources of information among families from all ethnic and social backgrounds. The support of local health services will add important credibility and trust to the offer. Health services may also have frequent contact with families where there are children living with a disability or special need. They would therefore be important ambassadors in promoting the offer and may be able to support local authorities in identifying target audiences.

Key argument / Approach:

By helping to promote the two year old offer, GP surgeries and health agencies can help to reduce social and health inequalities and improve the life chances of children in their community.

Marketing ideas:

  • Frontline staff could be asked to spread the word about the free entitlement among patients
  • They may also be willing to promote the offer on their notice boards, websites and may distribute or display leaflets within the surgery / clinic.
  1. Housing Associations and Registered Social Landlords

Housing Associations and other social landlords are increasingly seeing their role in a more holistic sense and are engaging with their tenants on a wider range of issues including providing help and advice on issues including debt, benefits, work and training.

Marketing ideas:

  • Staff engaging with target families could be asked to spread the word about the free entitlement
  • Associations may also be willing to promote the offer on their notice boards, websites and may distribute or display leaflets within offices and communal areas.
  1. Libraries / Community Centres / Leisure Centres / Soft Play

The above have all been identified as key stakeholders because they provide popular universal services to families from all social backgrounds, and in many cases, targeted activities for families with young children.

Key argument / Approach:

By helping to promote take up of the two year old offer, they can play a key role in reducing social inequality and helping children to get off to the best start in life. In some cases, they may wish to encourage parents to use their newly found free time to take up a hobby / regular activity at their premises.

Marketing ideas:

  • Visiting baby swimming, story and rhyme time sessions to talk to families informally about the offer – these may be great places to utilise parent champions.
  • Management may be willing to promote the offer on their notice boards, websites, social media etc and distribute leaflets within the building.
  1. Colleges / Universities

Potential students / mature students interested in enrolling for a course or training may feel unable to do so because of the time constraints / dual cost of studying and paying for childcare. Promoting the free entitlement within colleges and universities may offer an additional incentive for potential students with young children and encourage them to pursue further education.

Key argument / Approach:

Promoting the offer could help to reduce barriers to studying for parents with young children.

Marketing ideas:

  • Staff involved in discussing study opportunity with mature students or student parents can promote the offer where appropriate
  • The college / university may also be willing to promote the offer on their notice boards, website and distribute leaflets within the building.

Tier Three stakeholders

  1. Transport networks, hospitals and supermarkets

The above stakeholders could provide excellent ‘opportunities to see’ for communications around the two year old offer as they are all frequently used or visited by families with young children. However, they may be less incentivised than other stakeholders due to having a lesser invested interest in the impact of the entitlement.