Communicate the Power of Head Start with Words that Work
Introducing the new digital Head Start Language Playbook
By Robin Winchell, National Head Start Association’s Director of Public Affairs
Head Start staff does amazing work every day for at-risk children and families. You strengthen communities and change lives for the better. And we need to make sure everyone knows that: from your local elementary school principal to your members of Congress!
But even though we have a wonderful story to tell, that message doesn’t always breakthrough. Which is why, now more than ever, it is important that we are using “words that work” — language that will resonate with the broadest possible audience — and tactics that will help you get through to your audience about the power of Head Start, whether you’re talking with a member of Congress, a school superintendent or a potential Head Start parent.
These reasons and more are why NHSA embarked on the Language Playbook project almost two years ago. Officially called, “Staying Strong, Standing United: Strengthening Every Head Start Community,” the ultimate goal of this campaign is to build public understanding of Head Start’s effectiveness in supporting America’s most vulnerable children and families.
This campaign, which was funded through a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, brought members of the Head Start community together to talk about how we communicate the power of Head Start: who we are, what we do, and why it matters.
The first product to come out of this initiative was the Head Start Language Playbook, which we launched at last year’s Fall Leadership Institute. If you are familiar with the Language Playbook, you know that it is a tool to help you and other Head Start advocates have better, more effective conversations about our mission with the public. In the year since we shared the Language Playbook, I’ve led training sessions on how to use it at NHSA conferences, state association meetings, and many other learning opportunities for the Head Start community.
We’ve heard from programs around the country about how the Language Playbook has helped you solve everyday challenges and improve your practice. For example, Alessandra Angarita, a parent specialist East Side House Settlement Head Start, New York, said,
“Our program is working to strengthen parent engagement, and the Playbook is a useful tool for promoting conversations. It also helps to have a clear mission statement and tips for clarifying misconceptions, like that Head Start is just daycare.”
At Alaska’s CCS Early Learning, Executive Director Mark Lackey said, “We used the Playbook at a training for our Head Start parent advocates prior to legislative visits in our state capital. The Playbook helped facilitate discussions and role modeling conversations between directors and parents so everyone could feel more comfortable talking with lawmakers in the following days.”
And Norma Lopez of East Coast Migrant Head Start Project, which runs programs in multiple states, said, “The Language Playbook helped our Head Start community look toward the future, and using consistent language has made us a more uniform organization.”
Stories like these are why NHSA embarked on this project. Today, I’m excited to share with you that we’re taking it to the next level: We’re going digital!
To help you spread awareness about the life-changing power of Head Start, Team NHSA up with the digital storytelling firm LGND to create the new digital version of the Head Language Playbook. This new interactive, online version of the Language Playbook can be used by anyone, anywhere, and on any device.
The digital Language Playbook — available in both English and Spanish — is designed to help the Head Start community have better, more effective conversations about our mission with the public.
The Language Playbook can be used as a tool for:
- promoting conversations to strengthen parent engagement.
- clarifying misconceptions about Head Start
- training for Head Start parent advocates prior to legislative visits
- tailoring your message to reach different audiences
- guiding your public spokespeople on words that work, and words to stay away from.
What’s next?
Over the next few months, we’ll be highlighting different real-world examples of how to use this new tool to solve everyday challenges and improve your program’s outreach to parents, partners, and policymakers.
Stay tuned for more information from NHSA about Language Playbook webinars, training sessions at conferences, and blog posts to help you make the most of this new tool!
Robin Winchell is the Director of Public Affairs at the National Head Start Association. In her position, she promotes Head Start’s position as a leader in driving early childhood development outcomes and innovation. She is committed to advocating for policies and platforms that empower vulnerable children and families.
