# Messaging Guide

*Community Engagement Hub — Messaging & Outreach*

## The core narrative

Child care is infrastructure. When it works, parents work, employers hire,
and local economies grow. When it fails, the costs surface everywhere —
except on anyone's balance sheet. Our region can fix this, and everyone has
a role.

## Audience frames

| Audience | Door in | Lead message | Ask style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employers | Workforce | Care gaps are costing you people you can't afford to lose. | Concrete, sized, this quarter |
| Elected officials | Economy | Care capacity is jobs and tax base. | Policy-shaped, specific |
| Community members | Local business | Providers are small businesses on the edge. | Personal, shareable |
| Providers | Stability | Employer partnerships turn enrollment risk into contracted revenue. | Partnership-shaped |

## Vocabulary

**Use:** spots, waitlists, shifts, turnover, "three licensed infant spots in
a town of four thousand," providers as small businesses.

**Avoid (with general audiences):** slots, deserts, ECE, subsidy cliff,
capacity-building, stakeholders. If a term needs defining, replace it.

## The one-ask rule

Every message ends with exactly one specific, sized ask.
"Support child care" converts nobody. "Host a lunch-and-learn this quarter"
converts.

## Proof points to localize

- [X] licensed spots for [Y] children under five
- [X]% of parents missing work monthly
- Replacing one experienced employee: 0.5–2× salary
- One local employer story, told in their words

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*Demonstration content — localize before use.*