Step Up to Quality has always had two goals: increase the number of child care providers participating in the program and boost awareness about the program among parents of young children in Nebraska. When we started partnering with the Step Up to Quality team in 2015, our original approach was to inform and engage audiences, while speaking to their specific needs, motivations and goals. Communicating the “why” behind the work helped support the organization in attracting hundreds of providers and igniting new conversations across Nebraska’s child care community. 

The challenge then became to educate parents. This audience is constantly changing, with new babies being born every day and preschoolers graduating into kindergarten every year. We refined our collaborative strategy to meet parents where they are, including tactics like a consistently updated blog, integrated social media channels and targeted paid media. We also updated Step Up to Quality’s website search function, so parents can easily find providers in their area. We also crafted a downloadable checklist for parents to help them when interviewing child care providers and touring facilities. 

With an omnichannel approach and a strong brand to guide communications, Step Up to Quality keeps growing in its awareness, influence and outreach, with more than 600 child care providers now enrolled since 2015. Most importantly, more than 35,000 children have been educated by the hundreds of Step Up to Quality-rated programs across Nebraska.