# Employer Listening Session Guide

*Community Engagement Hub — Coalition Building Toolkit*

**Format:** 60 minutes, 6–10 employers, one facilitator, one note-taker.
**Rule:** the coalition speaks for less than 10 of the 60 minutes.

## Opening (5 min)

Purpose in one sentence: "We're here to learn how child care shows up in
your operations — nothing is being sold and nothing will be quoted with
your name without permission."

## Question script (45 min)

1. When care falls through for one of your people, what happens on your floor that day?
2. How does child care show up in hiring — do candidates ask? Do offers get declined?
3. What have you already tried, formally or informally? What happened?
4. If something in this region changed about child care, what would move your numbers most?
5. What would make it easy for a company like yours to be part of the solution?

**Facilitation notes**

- Follow the energy: if question 1 runs 20 minutes, let it.
- Capture verbatim phrases — they become your messaging.
- If one voice dominates, break to pairs for question 4.

## Close (10 min)

- Read back the three strongest themes you heard.
- One ask, sized small: "May we follow up individually to check we heard you right?"
- Name the next step and date before anyone leaves.

## Within one week

Send participants the themes memo (one page). Ask permission for any quote
you want to use. Invite each to ONE specific next action.

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*Demonstration content — adapt to your region.*