A Guide to Communicating About Early Childhood Development
Developmental Environments
Science from a wide array of disciplines—along with community expertise and the lived experience of caregivers—offers us a wealth of information and evidence that can help policymakers, community leaders, and other change agents shape decision-making to support healthy development. When we communicate this information to various audiences, it’s important to remember that it’s not as simple as deciding what to say—we can also make strategic choices about how we say it, what we emphasize, and what we leave unsaid. These framing choices can shape what people hear, what they understand, and how they feel and act as a result.
At the Center, we work closely with our longtime partners at the FrameWorks Institute to bring the science of framing into our communications. Over the years, we have partnered with FrameWorks to conduct empirical research that investigates and illuminates public thinking patterns around early childhood development, along with closely related social issues like systemic racism and climate change. The resulting resources and strategies, which you can explore in this guide, can be adapted and applied for communicating across a wide variety of contexts and audiences—from policymakers—to community leaders—to parents.
Resources in This Guide
Additional Resources
- Strategies for Effectively Communicating About Toxic Stress
- Talking About Toxic Stress
- Talking about racism and early childhood development
- Collective Caregiving: A Frame for Talking About What Kids and Families Need to Thrive
- Talking About Racism in Child and Family Advocacy
- Reframing Early Childhood to Strengthen Systems that Impact Children and Families