Public Awareness and Outreach
Category
System Building
Child's Age
Prenatal, 0-1 years, 1-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-4 years, 4-5 years
Participant
Children, Parents/Guardian, ECE Owner/Operator, ECE Teachers, Human Service Professionals, Medical Professionals
Languages
English
Brief Description
Smart Start Public Awareness and Outreach activities increase NC residents’ knowledge and understanding of early childhood systems, services, and resources. This communication prioritizes specific populations and is goal oriented. Smart Start Public Awareness and Outreach has the following goals: 1) Informing audiences of key early childhood issues and opportunities and 2) Creating behavioral changes, leading to recruitment in Smart Start services.
Expected Impact
- Increased visibility, awareness, and understanding of the critical development period of the early childhood years.
- Increased visibility, awareness, and understanding of services provided by the Smart Start Local Partnership and/or other community partners focused on improving outcomes in early childhood as well as understanding of the early years.
- Improved perception of the Partnership’s early childhood resources and services.
- Increased parent and ECE professional knowledge and use of early childhood resources, services, and concepts.
- Increased participation in Smart Start Partnership programming and services.
Core Components for Model Fidelity
Smart Start Public Awareness and Outreach implementation is variable and often repetitive. The components below can be extended into a large, multi-pronged campaign or paired down to quick steps completed before a Public Awareness and Outreach activity is implemented. There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Determine what communication channels are appropriate for the audience and budget. Complement other communication activities and the work with partner organizations when appropriate.
NCPC highly encourages the use of these guidelines for the Public Awareness and Outreach Activity:
- Identify Outreach Need: Determine what Smart Start services would benefit from increased awareness. This should be done through a community needs assessment, strategic plan, community survey, or another method. Awareness is increased through Smart Start Public Awareness and Outreach. These activities should help build a relationship that leads to increased recruitment in Smart Start services. Some of these needs may emerge through regular interaction with the public. Ex: Smart Start Local Partnerships (LPs) may find a need to recruit families to a series of play groups.
- Set Goals: What should people learn, feel, or do after encountering the Partnership’s public awareness and outreach campaign? A specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely (SMART) goal keeps the message focused. Ex: We need 10 families to use the LP’s website to enroll in a 10-week morning playgroup.
- Analyze and Understand the Communication Opportunity: Gender, age, sex, ethnicity, race, education, and other variables are all factors that influence communication. Consider the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats to understand the communication needs in relation to early childhood and organizational goals. Ex: There were few Spanish-speaking families enrolled in programs during the first half of the fiscal year. There may be an opportunity to translate or more broadly distribute materials with to reach a Latinx population.
- Identify and Define Priority Audience: Researching and understanding an audience’s demographics, information habits, and concerns allows for tailored messaging and communication channels. Ex: Many Spanish-speaking families are often concerned with their safety and therefore, are cautious to sharing information.
- Select an Appropriate Communication Channel: The appropriate communication channel varies based on the audience’s needs and the Partnership’s goals. The best communication channel reaches the intended audience where they are. Examples of communication channels include but are not limited to social media, outreach at public events, traditional media (i.e., TV, radio, print), partnerships with relevant organizations, and grassroots outreach. Ex: Local Spanish radios stations are an excellent avenue for connecting to a Spanish speaking population.
Languages Materials are Available in
English
Delivery Mode
Varies based on the selected communication means to reach the intended audience. May include in-person communication (speaking at events, hosting events, etc.), print communication (posters, flyers, banners, etc.), and digital/virtual communication (social media posts/ads, television spotlights, etc.).
Additional information about communication channels is included below:
- One-Way Communication: One-way communication flows only from the sender to the receiver, with no opportunity for immediate feedback. Examples include but are not limited to producing a news broadcast, radio, or social media ad, creating and disseminating a press release, disseminating a presentation, or providing a speech to a large group. One-way communication is best used when the goal is to disseminate information without a dialogue. It is best with larger audiences and is often more general in context. The primary goal is to share information. Another secondary goal of one-way communication is to provide an additional reminder of a Partnership’s community presence. Again, this includes but is not limited to press releases, radio ads, mass texting, and website content.
- Two-Way Communication: Two-way communication is a form of interaction where both parties involved can send and receive information, allowing for a reciprocal exchange of ideas and feedback, essentially a dialogue where both sides actively participate. Examples include but are not limited to face-to-face conversations where individuals can ask questions and respond to each other freely; social media interactions that allow for comments; a focus group with the community; or a community panel. Use two-way communication when appropriate to build relationships. Two-way communication generally takes more time but allows for greater understanding between the sender and receiver due to the dialogue that occurs.
Dosage
Dosage will vary as well as the mediums of communications as different audiences will need different communication strategies and respond more effectively to certain communication platforms, times of day, and other factors. Community resources and goals impact the frequency and types of communication which are most effective in each community. As such, there is no minimum dosage.
Infrastructure for Implementation
Materials: Messaging materials, visual content, printed materials, digital content, social media.
Space: Adequate meeting space for in-person events, such as formal conferences, listening sessions, decision-making conversations, and other in-person gatherings.
Funding: Funding will determine the frequency and methods used for public awareness or outreach.
Compelling Message: Craft a clear, concise message that resonates with the priority audience based on chosen communication channels. Use emotional appeals, statistics, or personal stories to grab attention and make the issue relevant to their lives. Create a call to action when communicating (i.e., a call to sign-up for a program, to share information on social media, etc.).
Evaluate and Adapt: Track the reach and impact of outreach and public awareness activities. Are the goals being met? Is the message resonating with the intended audience? Use data and feedback to adjust the approach and maximize effectiveness.
Staffing Requirements
NCPC strongly recommends training/education in one or more of these areas of specialty: communications, outreach, public awareness, public relations, content writing, graphic design, social media, and data analysis or evaluation.
NCPC strongly recommends staff receive training in the Standards of Quality for Family Support and Strengthening. Contact Positive Childhood Alliance North Carolina (PCANC) or National Family Support Network (NFSN) for more information, training, and certification.
Contact Information
NCPC’s Communication team is available to provide implementation support. Reach out to Communications Director, Jessica Carter, for support.
Cost Estimates
The budget (and timeline) may change based on a community’s needs and the goals of each Local Partnership. For example, if a Partnership has invested in social media, event outreach, and community panels, and one tactic is more successful at supporting their goal, the Partnership may choose to invest its budget in a different way, leaning into a specific tactic more than others or trying a new tactic altogether.
Overall cost will vary depending on several factors, including communication goals, target audience, message delivery, staffing needs, and more. Please review Smart Start Cost Principles for more information.
Purpose Service Code (PSC)
5517 - Community Systems Building and Public Awarenes
Program Identifier (PID)
Smart Start Public Awareness and Outreach
Minimal Outputs for NCPC Reporting
FY 25-26:
Refer to Data Structure for CDMS Document.
Measuring Smart Start Public Awareness and Outreach varies greatly based on the communications strategies selected and the tactics employed.
Minimal Outcomes for NCPC Reporting
Outcomes vary greatly and are unique to each Smart Start Public Awareness and Outreach activity. Refer to this document for examples: Public Awareness & Outreach Outputs and Outcomes.
Minimal Measures for NCPC Reporting
Measuring Smart Start Public Awareness and Outreach varies greatly based on the communications strategies selected and the tactics employed.
Please refer to the following document for more information and examples of outputs, outcomes, and measures to report to NCPC: Public Awareness & Outreach Outputs and Outcomes.
NCPC Evidence Categorization
Evidence Informed- Industry Standard
Research Summary
Two of the most relevant publications on building a public awareness and outreach campaign include the Community Tool Box from the Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas1 and a textbook by Jonathan Matusitz on the fundamentals of building a public communication campaign.2 Both resources describe the best practices for building a communication plan, beginning with the need to identify the topic and purpose of the communication plan based on a deep understanding of the situation. Identifying the audience is crucial in ensuring that the campaign is culturally sensitive and relevant and delivered via communication means that are appropriate for the audience. The message must be clear, concise, and impactful. The authors emphasize the importance of setting clear, actionable, and measurable goals and objectives, as well as the need for evaluating the campaign’s overall impacts to ensure it achieves those goals. Additional considerations include plans for obstacles and emergencies; identifying available and needed resources; defining a timeline and budget appropriate for the campaign; strategizing and developing the message; and engaging with the audience when possible (such as two-way conversations).
NCPC has provided links and brief descriptions below to additional resources and tools to support each Partnership’s Smart Start Public Awareness and Outreach activities.
- ^ See Community Tool Box (n.d.). The Community Tool Box from the Center for Community Health and Development at the University of Kansas provides support and guidance in assessing community needs, engaging community stakeholders, planning and taking action, evaluating impacts, and continually improving and sustaining community development efforts. While the Community Tool Box includes 46 Chapters of detailed, step-by-step guidance in community development skills, Chapter 6: Communications to Promote Interest, Section 1: Developing a Plan for Communication is the most relevant to Smart Start Public Awareness and Outreach activities. This section details best practices in developing a communication plan, beginning with definitions of communication and communication plans as well as the how, why, and when of developing a communication plan. The Community Tool Box describes the following eight steps in developing a communication plan: identify the purpose; identify the audience; plan and design the message; consider the resources that are available and those that are needed; plan for obstacles and emergencies; strategize how to connect with the media and spread the message; create an action plan; and decide how to evaluate and continually improve the communication plan. Additional considerations include the audience's demographics, geography, behaviors, and attitudes as well as the communication means most appropriate for reaching the intended audience. The Community Tool Box shares virtual resources to further support conversations around developing a communication plan.
- ^ See Matusitz (2022). This textbook provides comprehensive information regarding communication campaigns, with the second chapter being most relevant to Smart Start Public Awareness and Outreach activities. In this chapter, Matusitz outlines and describes ten essential steps in building a foundation for successful communication campaigns. These ten steps are as follows: define the topic; set goals and objectives; analyze the situation; define the audience; understand the timeline and budget; choose the most appropriate media to reach the audience and deliver the message; develop optimal message content; interact with the audience; update the campaign to be timely, relevant, and accurate; and evaluate the campaign's overall impacts (47). The author notes that campaigns are most effective when topically relevant and accurate. It is important to conduct formative research analyses to gain a deep understanding of the situation and develop an action plan. The communication design and means for reaching the audience must be well thought-out to ensure the audience receives and engages with the campaign messaging. Conducting an analysis of the audience aides in defining the intended recipients, as there may be multiple audiences (such as active and passive participants), and it allows the campaign to be culturally sensitive and relevant to recipients' values, needs, and interests. Communication means may vary from one campaign to another based on the campaign's goals and audience's preferences. Optimal message content is brief, relevant, and typically includes an interesting headline or hook in the first sentence to capture the audience's attention. The most important information should be presented first and there should be clear, concise explanations of the campaign's saliency and connection to the public. The campaign needs to be updated regularly to share accurate, relevant information in a timely manner. Finally, the campaign needs to be evaluated to ensure that it is achieving the identified goals. Common evaluation methods include effect evaluation, outcome evaluation, and summative evaluation.
Researched Population
- Recommendations for best practices from state/federal resources
- Recommendations for best practices from communication experts
Community Tool Box (n.d.). Chapter 6, Section 1, Developing a Plan for Communication. Retrieved from https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/participation/promoting-interest/communication-plan/main, January 28, 2025.
Matusitz, J. (2022). Chapter 2: The 10 Steps of Public Communication Campaigns, Fundamentals of Public Communications Campaigns. Wiley Blackwell.
Additional Resources/Tools:
- Planning Before You Communicate Tool: From the Public Health Foundation (PHB), "this spreadsheet will help you to address and organize essential factors of communications planning, execution, and evaluation” of health-focused communication campaigns.
- Strategic Communication Planning Hub: This tool is available through the W. K. Kellog Foundation and is described as “a free resource designed to help non-profits and organizations of all sizes become more skilled in the fundamentals of communication.”
- Building Resources for Effective Public Awareness Campaigns: A Toolkit for Practice: Developed by the FRIENDS National Center for Community-Based Child Abuse Prevention, the purpose of this toolkit is “to assist Community Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) State Lead Agencies (SLAs) and their partners in developing effective public awareness campaigns.”
Local Partnerships Currently Implementing
Local Partnerships in purple have adopted Public Awareness and Outreach. Local Partnership contact information can be found here.