Summary: ECFE Marketing Toolkit Technical Assistance (TA)
Details
Topic: ECFE Marketing Toolkit Technical Assistance
Date: November 12 and 13
Time: 1:00-2:00pm
How: Zoom
Overview
The DCYF ECFE Team hosted two Marketing Toolkit Technical Assistance sessions to show ECFE staff how to find, customize, and use the marketing materials, including a live demo. Educators and partners from across Minnesota shared their enthusiasm, questions, and hopes for how the toolkit will support their work. Participants highlighted the value of ready-to-use materials, consistent statewide messaging, and tools to better reach families, including those from culturally diverse communities. This summary brings together what we heard and outlines how we will continue supporting the field as the toolkit rolls out.
Highlights from Poll
What materials may be useful right away?
Participants were most excited about the ready-to-use social media content, new images and visual assets, and the ECFE video. Many also highlighted the value of website and newsletter text, pre-designed flyers, posters, postcards, and copy-and-paste messaging. Overall, people appreciated having fresh, modern content they can use immediately without needing to create materials from scratch.
What hopes do you have for the toolkit?
Participants shared a strong desire for the toolkit to increase family awareness of ECFE, especially in communities where families still don’t know the program exists. They also hope the materials will support consistent statewide messaging, save staff time, strengthen multicultural outreach, boost enrollment, and help ECFE programs become more visible in their communities.
What questions do you have?
Participants had thoughtful questions about how to start using the toolkit, whether printed materials would be available, and how to apply the materials to websites, newsletters, and registration systems. They were also curious about whether images or videos could be reused or edited, how the toolkit aligns with other DCYF work such as Screening and Preschool, and how small districts can use the materials efficiently. The most common question was simply, “When can we start using it?”
Q & A
Q: When will the toolkit be available to use?
A: The toolkit is now available on the DCYF website. ECFE Marketing Toolkit | Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Q: Will printed materials be available for purchase?
A: Printed materials will not be available for purchase. Community partners such as libraries, Head Start programs, public health departments, childcare centers, ECSE teams, family resource centers, and local nonprofits will be able to order selected materials through the online ordering system. Districts will be responsible for printing their own materials, since we strongly recommend, they personalize the templates with their own website and program information.
Q: How can districts apply the materials to websites, newsletters, registration pages?
A: All materials include copy-and-paste language, images, and templates that can be added directly to district webpages, digital newsletters, and registration systems. Districts can use the content as-is or pair it with their existing branding.
Q: Can districts or other programs reuse the images in the toolkit for purposes outside of ECFE?
A: The images work best when they remain ECFE-specific. Reusing them across different programs can dilute the brand and make ECFE less recognizable to families.
Q: Can we take the ECFE video apart and reuse the audio with our own images or footage?
A: We recommend keeping the video intact. The visuals, narration, and pacing were designed to work together to support consistent ECFE messaging and branding across the state. If districts replace the images or pair the audio with different visuals, the message can become less clear, and the overall brand impact is reduced. Using the video as it was created helps maintain strong, recognizable ECFE communication.
Q: How will the toolkit support outreach to diverse cultural communities?
A: The toolkit includes imagery, language, and messaging that reflect diverse Minnesota families. It was designed to be inclusive, welcoming, and easy to understand across cultures. Effective outreach also includes understanding the cultural communities in each district. The toolkit provides cultural nuances to support this work, and a full report of the engagement findings that informed the toolkit will be shared in the new year.
Q: How does this align with other DCYF work (Screening, Preschool, community partnerships)?
A: The toolkit supports DCYF’s larger effort to strengthen family engagement and promote consistent communication across programs. Early Childhood Screening has its own statewide marketing materials, and while I’m not certain about Preschool-specific materials, family engagement is central to all our work. Once families are connected to ECFE, programs can help them navigate other early learning resources—including Screening, Preschool, and additional supports.
Q: How should districts use the ready-made materials effectively in practice?
A: The materials can be used for social media, websites, newsletters, community events, home visits, partnerships and in high-traffic spaces.
Q: Will this help with marketing in small districts with limited staff?
A: The toolkit was created to save time and reduce workload, especially for small districts without dedicated marketing staff. The ready-made materials make outreach easier and more efficient. We won’t know exactly what works best until we create a plan, we believe will be effective and try it, but the toolkit provides a strong starting point for that work.
Q: Are fliers, posters, etc. already printed and available to order?
A: Print-ready files are available now. Printed materials will be available for community partners to order through the online ordering system after the new year.
Q: What if we don’t always have time to create our own materials?
A: That is exactly why the toolkit was created. It provides ready-to-use content so staff can focus on supporting families, not developing marketing materials.
Support from DCYF ECFE
Technical Assistance: February 18 and 19 (1-2pm)
Community of Practice (CoP): Begin in December, reach out to Mi Yang if interested.
Individual Support: Ongoing, reach out to Mi Yang
Printed Materials for Community Partners: After January
Resources
Recording of Session: ECFE TA: Marketing Toolkit - Zoom Passcode: =J1fvZ#1
Access Toolkit: ECFE Marketing Toolkit | Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families
Printable Summary: https://minnesotadcyf.us.engagementhq.com/30434/widgets/108529/documents/75110
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