FEBRUARY 2019

GOING TO
THE EXPERTS
How KPCC turned to parents when redesigning
its early childhood education and
development coverage.

Prepared by:
Ashley Alvarado

Kristen Muller
Elena, parent

 INTRODUCTION
How KPCC is adapting to serve new audiences

KPCC (Southern California Public Radio) is an innovative public service newsroom
dedicated to providing Southern California communities with high-quality news and
information. Every day, our journalists help audiences catch up on the latest headlines,
explore the complexities of life in Southern California, and connect curious communities
with one another.
Yet as we report on key issues like early childhood education and development (ECED), the
media environment in which we operate is shifting dramatically. We know that we must try
new approaches in order to engage and better serve Southern Californians. It's imperative
we reach diverse audiences: Roughly half the population in Los Angeles County is nonwhite;
about 6 percent is 5 years old or younger.
To fulfill KPCC's mission, we must continue to innovate by designing our coverage in new
ways so that we can reach audiences in their daily lives—where they live and how they
consume information—and provide a public service unavailable anywhere else.
 
In 2012, KPCC hired a reporter to focus on the first five years of life. The goal: to examine
how access to education in the early years affects outcomes later in life, including but not
limited to incarceration rates, income, and career opportunities. KPCC was progressive in
this approach. Most education reporting focuses on K–12, despite the evidence that 85
percent of brain development occurs in the first three years.

Priska Neely, KPCC's senior early childhood reporter

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We built expertise in the emerging science
of brain development and examined the
availability and affordability of childcare
as well as how current public policy syncs
up (or fails) to meet the needs of
caregivers. We delivered this information
through broadcast, digital stories, and inperson events. By all measures, our work
has been successful. In the beat's first six
years, KPCC’s effectively reached key
policy makers and stakeholders in the
early childcare community with more
than 830 stories and won more than a
dozen awards along the way. There was
demonstrated impact at the individual,
network, and institutional levels.

02

 We also saw a major shift in the public dialogue around early
childhood issues. When we began our coverage in 2012, the
conversation focused on whether preschool was effective. In
2019, California Governor Gavin Newsom describes himself
as a fanatic about early childhood issues and says improving
care and education for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers is a
top priority for the world’s fifth-largest economy.
KPCC now seeks to build deeper relationships with
community members who could benefit from our service yet
are underserved by public media: low- and middle-income
parents and caretakers of young children in Los Angeles
County. While KPCC reaches roughly 1 million people each
month, that does not represent the full range of Angelenos
who most need this information.
 
In order to reach those most in need, we’ve launched a new
strategy that will allow us to go deeper, identifying the
information needs, concerns, and problems these parents and
caregivers face every day. This requires changing our
approach and embracing experimentation so that we might
better understand and meet the information needs of these
parents and caregivers. What follows is a report on what
we’ve tried so far, early results, and learnings.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The project seeks to answer whether KPCC’s journalism can
be useful to communities outside of our traditional
distribution channels. Is there reporting we could do that
would meaningfully engage more caregivers of children ages
0–5 in L.A. County? How would we define success, and how
do we need to modify our approach to be effective?
 
There is urgency in answering these questions as Governor
Newsom has made early childhood education a legislative
priority. KPCC is in a unique position to hold government
officials accountable. There is an opportunity to connect
caregivers who live and breathe our early childhood system
with academics, researchers, and policy makers to reveal gaps
between the two and shine a light on what’s working (or not).

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The research team, from top:
Kristen Muller, Ashley
Alvarado, Priska Neely, Tran
Ha, Jane Jozefowicz, and
Natalie El-Hai.

03

 METHODOLOGY
AND PROCESS
To better understand the information needs and habits of those
KPCC aims to serve with its ECED coverage, we turned to design
thinking.
Design thinking is a methodology for solving complex problems that forces you to
identify actual problems before offering solutions. As Jennifer Brandel, the
cofounder of the engaged journalism platform Hearken, has written, "At its most
basic, design thinking is an agile process for solving complex problems. It’s a way of
understanding the needs of the people you’re building a solution for, and testing
that solution with them before creating it."
For this research, we employed a human-centered design approach (a form of design
thinking), which emphasizes deep listening. The team consisted of chief content
officer Kristen Muller, community engagement director Ashley Alvarado, early
childhood reporter Priska Neely, human-centered design expert Tran Ha, and
interns Jane Jozefowicz and Natalie El-Hai.
Based on our previous work with early childhood coverage, we selected a target
audience of L.A. County parents and caregivers of children ages 0–5 and a goal of
expanding and deepening our public service journalism,
Before launching the research, each member of the team had different ideas about
what sort of outcome could be useful to parents and caregivers: an app that would
help caregivers locate affordable, quality childcare, partnering with ethnic media to
distribute the journalism we already produce, and distributing stories in preschools.
But we didn't know whether our ideas would be useful to the community we were
trying to serve. We needed to first make sure we were identifying the right
problem(s) before spending time brainstorming solutions.

We launched a five-step process:
1. Development of stakeholder map and target characteristics
2.     Stakeholder interviews
3.     Synthesis
4.     Brainstorming
5.     Development of potential prototypes

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04

 DEVELOPMENT OF
STAKEHOLDER
MAP AND TARGET
CHARACTERISTICS
The most effective ideas are most likely to
come from stakeholders. In the case of
early childhood education and
development coverage, that means people
who spend a significant part of their day
engrossed in early childhood
development—as parents, caregivers,
childcare providers, or otherwise.
We needed to better understand their
wants and needs,
Based on Neely's previous reporting and
expertise in the ECED field, we developed
a list of stakeholders.
As we mapped these stakeholders
(pictured: top right corner), we started to
identify shared experiences or
characteristics and we were able to see
categories emerging.
Based on our goal going in, we prioritized
parents, family members, and other
caregivers, including professionals.
What had started as a very long list
became manageable.
Working with Ha, we developed a list of
target characteristics (pictured: righthand
column) that would allow us—with the
target audience of parents and caregivers
of children 0–5 years old in Los Angeles
County—to interview stakeholders with a
wide range of experiences.

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PARENT TARGET PROFILES
Has child/children 0-3 years old
Has child/children 3-5 years old
KPCC listener
KPCC non-listener
High school or no high school
diploma
Masters or PhD
Black
White
Undocumented
Spanish speaking
Speaks non-dominant primary
language
Lives in incorporated city in
L.A. County
Lives in unincorporated area in
L.A. County
Lives downtown
Lives in suburbs
Takes public transportation as
main mode of transport
Drives as main mode of
transport
Lives close/far from freeway

CAREGIVER TARGET PROFILES
In-home daycare
Drop-off daycare
Relative who provides primary
care for child

05

 Ashley Alvarado interviews Janet, a Pasadena preschool teacher.

STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS

Traditionally, when journalists are on deadline, we ask subjects very direct questions that
need a precise answer. Human-centered design, on the other hand, employs more open-ended
questions like “What do you worry about when it comes to your children?” and “If you had
more time in the day, how would you use it?” as well as the observation of body language. This
is to draw out implicit needs, in addition to explicit ones.

2

Explicit needs are what we can see: our conscious decisions and behaviors that we can observe
and discuss. Implicit needs lie below the surface, and include emotions, values, and beliefs.
Implicit needs are harder to observe, but they often provide deeper insight and focus. By
approaching our interviews in this fashion, we aimed to step back, drop our assumptions, and
immerse ourselves in the environment of those we are aiming to serve.
We went in looking for insights that could help point the way toward solutions. This approach
is different from traditional research, focus groups, and engagement activities. Target profiles
were carefully identified through research and Neely's experiences in the field.
Interviews took place in interview subjects' homes or workplace. Observing their behavior in
their natural context helped us better understand what commands their attention throughout
the day...and where and when we might fit into their routines. [Continued on page 8.]

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06

 INTERVIEWS:
WHAT WE HEARD

The interviews were conducted in person across L.A. County; they usually
lasted 45 minutes to an hour. Once all of the interviews were completed,
we spent three days focused on sense-making: looking for patterns,
themes, and meaning in what we had heard and observed so that we might
identify actionable insights and frameworks. Here is some of what we
heard:

"I overwork a lot of times.
It brought me to tears
when I realized this."
—Denise, in-home

"When my baby's sick,

daycare provider

the first person I call is
my grandmother in

"The force of money

Mexico."

can move you beyond

—Elena, parent

borders."
—Janet, preschool

"[My wife] does the

teacher

research, and I agree

"If you know something
or have advice, I'd really

with her."
—Justus, parent

appreciate."
—Berenice, relative with
temporary custody
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07

 From left, Kristen Muller, Priska Neely, Tran Ha, and Ashley Alvarado (not pictured) analyze the interviews, looking
for patterns and opportunities.

SYNTHESIS

Once all of the stakeholder interviews had been conducted, we worked with human-centered
design specialist Tran Ha over the course of three days to identify patterns and themes in the
interviews and observations.
This synthesis is critical.
It allowed us to identify archetypes within our target audience as well as key insights that will
drive our next phase of early childhood education and development reporting and engagement,
including the development and testing of prototypes.

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08

 SYNTHESIS:
THE ARCHETYPES
During the synthesis process, we identified and
developed four archetypes.
Conspicuous Consumer
Likely part of KPCC’s existing reach, the
Conspicuous Consumer needs information to
feed curiosity, improve quality of life, and
reinforce world views.

Conscientious Caregiver
Less likely to be a regular KPCC listener, the
Conscientious Caregiver needs information to
inform their mission-driven work in the early
childhood sector or to navigate the services
designed for parents and caregivers.

Busy Bootstrapper

Completely outside of KPCC’s existing reach,
the Busy Bootstrapper needs information to
survive and connect to resources.
Passive Follower

Unlikely to be a regular KPCC listener, the
Passive Follower has experienced financial
insecurity but not so much as to search out
information in the way the Busy Bootstrapper
does. She is more likely to be English dominant
and to have spent the majority—if not all—of
her life in the United States.

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09

 Justus and his wife, Liz, along with their 4-month-old daughter.

SYNTHESIS:
KEY INSIGHTS

During the synthesis process, we identified new principles that will guide
our work moving forward.
Formal and informal networks

Some face an additional learning

play an important role in collecting

curve and burden to navigate the

and disseminating information.

early childhood education and

These networks include churches, public

development system to qualify for

libraries, teacher associations, playgrounds,

or take advantage of resources.

Facebook groups, families, and friends.

Many parents—especially those with limited

Many parents are worried about
their kids’ long-term futures
instead of 0–5.

Parents of children 0–3 discussed anxiety

English—detailed the challenges they faced
in trying to access early childhood services
for their children: from confirming
eligibility for certain programs to the
transportation required to participate.

about their children's long-term future
while parents of children 3–5 focused on
more immediate needs like performance in
school.

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10

 SYNTHESIS:
WHAT WE LEARNED

We cannot rely solely on radio, social media, or English-language media.
KPCC recognizes the greatest opportunity
to expand its reach and deepen its impact in
a meaningful way is with the Busy
Bootstrapper and Conscientious Caregiver
archetypes.
To really tap into the networks and
informal distribution models we know exist,
we must do much of this work in person. We
cannot rely on our radio and digital
platforms. At the same time, we cannot—
and will not—stop doing the journalism
that serves the Conspicuous Consumer.
This is not a technology solution. Instead, it
is low tech and high touch.
KPCC is particularly well positioned to
carry out this work because of our longtime
commitment to reporting on early
childhood education and development and
to engaged journalism practices (including
but not limited to in-person events,
community listening, and sourcing). We
have established connections throughout
the early childhood space and are skilled at
in-person facilitation, producing live
events, and engaging people where they are.
In January, KPCC hired its first-ever
engagement producer dedicated to early
childhood education and development.
Over the next two years, we will conduct a
series of experiments with the
aforementioned prototypes and share
learnings as we go.

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Stefanie Ritoper
Engagement Producer
Before joining KPCC, Ritoper
spent more than 10 years
supporting civic engagement
through media in mission-driven
organizations, including Evo
Health and Wellness, the UCLA
Labor Center, and Asian
Americans/Pacific Islanders in
Philanthropy. Ritoper was also
the founding producer and host
of “Re:Work,” a storytelling show
about work. She holds a master’s
degree in city planning from the
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
Ritoper is a native Angeleno and
spends most of her free time
relearning everything she
thought she knew about life from
her toddler.

11

11

 KPCC staff members joined the core research team to reflect on key insights and opportunities, brainstorming
potential news sources based on these findings.

BRAINSTORMING

Drawing on the archetypes and key insights developed during the synthesis phase, KPCC
journalists and non-journalist staffers gathered to brainstorm potential news services and
distribution models that could reach the target ECED audience.
 
Staffers were asked to answer questions like "How might we think about ECED stories and
information in formats beyond radio and web?" and "How might we engage with and build
awareness among informal gatekeepers not familiar with KPCC? Of the potential news
services identified during the brainstorm session, we have selected three ideas to prototype
and develop as community-engaged news products (CNPs).

Prototypes at a glance:
Printed fliers in libraries and parks
Early childhood community ambassador
program
Children's book club at public libraries

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12

 DEVELOPMENT OF
POTENTIAL
PROTOTYPES:
3 COMMUNITYENGAGED NEWS
PRODUCTS
The fifth step of this process was
to develop the prototypes, or
community-engaged news
products, that we would test out.

1. PRINTED FLIERS IN LIBRARIES AND PARKS
Throughout the interview process, parents and caregivers cited fliers and postcards as
sources of critical information—whether they were spotted at a local public library, park,
or mailbox.
We have already begun to prototype this by distributing informational postcards (pictured
above) that shared information about KPCC's reporting series on black infant mortality
and promoted a January KPCC In Person event called "Racism and Reproduction: What
Black Women Need to Know." For more information, see page 16.

Based on the key insights that "Formal and
informal networks play an important role
in collecting an disseminating information"
and "Some face an additional learning
curve and burden to navigate the early
childhood education and development
system to qualify for or take advantage of
resources," KPCC has begun prototyping
paper materials through informal
partnerships and direct mail. We are also
experimenting with in-language materials.

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This prototype is specifically
designed to reach those we would
identify as belonging to the
Conscientious Caregiver and
Busy Bootstrapper archetypes.

13

 2. EARLY CHILDHOOD COMMUNITY
AMBASSADOR PROGRAM

Based on the key insights "Formal and
informal networks play an important role in
collecting and disseminating information"
and "Many parents are worried about their
This type of framework is meant to
encourage a sense of shared ownership in
the newsgathering and distribution
processes.
Building on the engagement and
journalism KPCC has already done, the
early childhood community ambassador
program will regularly convene
stakeholders in the communities where
they live, not only distributing
information but more importantly
surfacing the needs and issues they’re
facing.
The convenings will be designed to foster
small-group conversations and build
trust between communities and KPCC
journalists. Within the facilitation design,
the emphasis will be on deeper listening
and participation among all attendees.
They will also serve as an opportunity to
identify other nontraditional
distribution models.

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kids’ long-term futures instead of 0–5,"
KPCC will regularly convene stakeholders
to surface specific needs and stories we may
be missing, as well as leverage points to
activate interest in coverage.

This prototype is designed to facilitate
connection with and better understand the
needs of all four archetypes. While each has
a different degree of familiarity with KPCC,
this prototype allows KPCC journalists to
better understand and meet the
information needs of each through deep
engagement.

14

 3. CHILDREN’S BOOK CLUB AT PUBLIC LIBRARIES
The children’s book club prototype leverages
KPCC’s existing relationships with the local
library system as well as listeners across
Southern California.
We will turn to KPCC's existing audience
members across radio, website, social media,
and in-person platforms to crowdsource
children's books that can be read at a series
of facilitated community story times.
Working alongside the library system, KPCC
will not only produce the events but also
table at them in order to distribute key
informational and branded materials.
We believe that KPCC's expertise in
Existing Facebook followers
producing live events uniquely positions us
to offer compelling book club story times
that will engage parents and children,
increasing parents' familiarity with us and
building trust.
This has the potential to build on and to
support the Early Childhood Community
Ambassador Program prototype.

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Based on the key insight that "Formal
and informal networks play an
important role in collecting and
disseminating information," KPCC
has begun looking at ways in which
we could leverage our existing
relationships and those of parents
and caregivers with public libraries to
meet people
where they are.

This prototype is specifically
designed to reach those we would
identify as belonging to the
Conspicuous Consumer,
Conscientious Caregiver, and Busy
Bootstrapper archetypes.

15

 AN EARLY WIN

A January 2019 event served as case study
for initial prototype testing
Based on the results of our human-centered design research, KPCC saw an immediate
opportunity to implement one of the prototypes: the use of paper materials as a
distribution method. This predated the hire of Stefanie Ritoper as engagement producer.
With Priska Neely's January 24 event focused on the black infant mortality, we identified a
target audience of African American women in their early childbearing years (this is a
segment of the population deeply affected by the mortality crisis and one largely outside
of KPCC's traditional radio audience; African Americans represent roughly 8 percent of
our listenership). We set the goal of having an audience of at least 100 people that was
majority African American.
Nearly 6,000 informational postcards were distributed via direct mail to residents in
neighborhoods with high rates of infant mortality and shared by health organizations.
Printed fliers (pictured, opposite page) were displayed at an L.A. County Library branch
near the venue, and digital fliers were shared by various organizations.

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16

 The results demonstrate a clear
early win: more than 400 people
registered for the event. Despite a
trend toward higher attrition
rates, roughly 200 people
attended the program. More than
90 percent presented as black
women, including high school
students, grandmothers, medical
professionals, and others.
An early review of the website
analytics indicates that about 330
unique visitors came to the black
infant mortality landing page
from the unique URL. Roughly 51
percent of people who RSVP'd said
they had heard about the event in
a way other than our traditional
outreach model.
The conversation was informative,
with the host and panelists
sharing a mix of advice and
personal experiences.
Audience feedback (in-person and
online) was extremely positive.
On Twitter, Isabeth Mendoza
wrote, "So much community &
love at 'Racism & Reproduction:
what black women need to know.'"
Twitter user @HeyImIvanna
described the evening as "an eyeopening event."
As part of the post-event survey,
one attendee wrote, "The speakers
were great and diverse in their
professions and experiences. The
questions raised were very
enlightening and the audience
was able to engage the speakers."

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Opposite page: So many people attended the January event that an
overflow space was opened. This page, from top: The informational
flier that was distributed, a young audience member asks a
question.

17

 RESEARCH & DESIGN
PHASE EVALUATION

Measuring the success of KPCC's research and implementation of the
identified prototypes.

Report

Needs

Strategy

RESEARCH AND DESIGN OBJECTIVES
As we entered into the research and design phases of our ECED reporting project, KPCC
identified three main objectives:
1. Learn the identified community’s needs, focusing on:
Understanding the topics and issues of most interest as well as the preferred or
convenient delivery formats and engagement methods.
Understanding what is already being done by other organizations in the field to meet
these needs.
Identifying what KPCC as a local news organization can uniquely provide.
2. Design an editorial strategy to test, including:
Identifying potential news product(s) specifically designed for low- and middle-income
parents, families, and caregivers of young children.
Identifying a distribution pipeline(s) and engagement tool(s) that allow us to serve a
community traditionally underserved by media.
3. Develop a report on information learned during the research phase for distribution to
journalism organizations, service organizations, and the philanthropic community.

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18

 FINAL RESEARCH OUTCOMES
The following pages include the research, analysis, prototyping, and
sharing activities that KPCC proposed as we headed into the research and
design phase as well as the actual outcomes and measures.
Research Activities

Proposed Activities

Hire human-centered design specialist
Identify 3 in-community informal partner organizations to facilitate introductions to
community members
Outcome: We worked with multiple in-community informal partner organizations
(including First 5 LA, Long Beach Forward, and Children Today) to facilitate
introductions to stakeholders
Either through partner organizations or services like Exact Data, purchase cell
phone numbers for community members
Outcome: We chose not to do this.
Implement direct mail strategies in specific communities
Outcome: Implemented direct mail strategies in specific communities like
Inglewood
Hold in-community Feeding the Conversations engagement-sourcing gatherings
utilizing facilitation techniques and methodologies to surface needs
Outcome: We chose not to do this.
Proposed Outputs
Create 3–5 types of survey materials (postcard, text message, digital)
Outcome: During research we focused on in-person interviews. When prototyping
printed materials, we created two types of digital surveys (at time of RSVP and post
event) and tracked URLs as another way to survey behavior of target audience
Develop 3–5 archetypes representing potential community members served
Outcome: Developed 4 archetypes
Develop a list of no more than 5 issues and topics of interest
Outcome: Developed 3 key insights (takes the place of key topics or issues as
identified in research proposal)
Develop a list of no more than 3 potential delivery formats
Outcome: Developed multiple delivery formats, including but not limited to direct
mail, fliers in public libraries and parks, and in-person events.
Expected Outcomes
Specific archetypes have been identified for KPCC to build content around
A wide range of needs and opportunities specific to the community members are identified
Several options for news products to pilot are identified, including the potential formats,
delivery mechanisms, issues and topics
The community has been intentionally involved in productive conversation to imagine the
most effective coverage

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19

 Printed fliers were identified as the first prototype that would be produced as a community-news engaged product.
Ahead of a January 2019 event, fliers were distributed to a local library branch. Thousands of postcards (pictured)
were also distributed via direct mail.

Data Analysis

Proposed Activities
Synthesize data through multiday work sessions
Compare the range of needs with what journalism is equipped to help solve
Outcome: Compared the range of needs with what KPCC newsroom was equipped
to help solve; identified the need for a full-time engagement producer position to
support ECED reporting
Proposed Outputs
Create list of patterns and themes
Break down those issues and opportunities where KPCC journalists could help fill the gap
Identify those issues that could be addressed with a community and/or journalism partner
Expected Outcomes
Specific potential information and delivery problems we are trying to solve are identified
Outcome: While KPCC entered the research phase with the assumption that there
would be a high-tech solution, it became clear we needed low-tech, high-touch
solutions that reached people where they are (often outside of KPCC's traditional
reach)
Several specific community-engaged news products are identified
Outcome: Three prototypes identified as community-engaged news products (CNPs)
Move into design and prototyping phase with clear focus on issues, delivery types to pilot

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20

 Pretotyping and Prototyping

"Pretotyping" is a precursor to prototyping; it's a way to test an idea quickly and
inexpensively to see whether the premise that "If we build it, they will use it" is correct.
Proposed Activities
Pretotyping potential CNPs to test the initial appeal and actual usage to learn if people will be
interested in it
Outcome: Pretotyped then prototyped printed fliers in libraries and parks idea with
January event on black infant mortality (see page 16)
Prototyping potential CNPs to test our actual ability to make the product, and adjusting as
needed
Proposed Outputs
No more than 3 pretotypes are developed, tested, qualified or disqualified
1–2 prototype(s) are developed and tested
Outcome: Tested fliers at libraries as well as postcards that were distributed via
direct mail to neighborhoods experiencing higher rates of black infant mortality
Ongoing surveys are conducted, asking questions of community members about the CNPs
Outcome: Surveying people who RSVP'd and attended event at time of registration
and following event
Expected Outcomes
The first CNP we will produce and test is determined
Outcome: Postcards and fliers identified as first CNP
Scorecard for early success of the CNP is developed, with 3–5 key metrics determined
Production of CNP commences
Sharing

Proposed Activities
Write, present, and share a public report
Proposed Outputs
Produce public report on findings to date and next steps
Attend conferences, panel discussions, summits, or other events, where appropriate, to
share our learnings
Outcome: KPCC has already begun presenting on this human-centered design
research at schools and with other journalists
Expected Outcomes
Information on the specific community’s needs are available to various stakeholders
Information about our editorial strategy and planning process model is available to other
journalism organizations

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21

 IMPLEMENTATION PHASE
EVALUATION FRAMEWORK

Implementation Strategy

1. Through iteration and continually monitoring performance, test the editorial strategy of
the community-engaged news product designed to meet the identified community’s
information needs by:
a. Developing the specific news product(s) designed for parents, families, and caregivers
(examples below).
b. Distributing the news product(s) through identified pipelines.
c. Evaluating impact by measuring the output, level of community engagement, and
outcomes.
2. Focus on meeting the identified community’s needs by remaining aware, regularly
adapting, and changing tactics, if necessary:
a. Only produce news products that the community is using, and not produce those that it
is not.
b. Only distribute on platforms where we see evidence of useful consumption.
c. Engage in ways that attract participation and build the community.
3. Through transparency, seek out evidence of outcomes for the project, as well as potential
impacts currently unknowable, and welcome opportunities for us and our partners to learn
and improve.

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22

 Community-Engaged News
Product(s) Scorecards

We will measure important qualitative and quantitative data including reach, geographic
location, demographics, consumption, attention, referral sources, and devices/platforms.
Below are metrics by which we will measure the success of news products we have
identified to prototype.
Printed Fliers in Libraries and Parks

Planned Activities
Fliers and postcards as ads for events
Fliers as distribution for stories and information
Fliers as asks for input on stories
Planned Outputs
35 percent of attendees RSVP through fliers
At least 50 percent of fliers are consumed by target audiences (as reported by distribution
partners)
Generate at least 3 actionable leads for reporting
Planned Outcomes and Measures
Attendees sign up for newsletter, follow Priska Neely on social media, RSVP for another event,
provide a tip for our reporting
Readers signal interest in learning more (digital and SMS signup options listed on printed
materials)
Stories have higher reach and engagement time
Early Childhood Community Ambassador Program

Planned Activities
8-12 in-person Feeding the Conversation-style convenings with stakeholders in their
communities
Planned Outputs
2–3 story leads generated per convening
Planned Outcomes and Measures
Stories distributed with ambassador program have higher-than-average share rate
Children’s Book Club at Public Libraries

Planned Activities
Crowdsource book suggestions with current audience to stage reading time event
Planned Outputs
Set up story time at popular L.A. County library in neighborhood with lots of young children
Planned Outcomes and Measures
Attract a crowd of at least 15 caregivers and kids. Ask for questions that they may have
regarding caregiving/education

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 CONCLUSION
Next steps for KPCC's early childhood reporting--and beyond.

KPCC is already applying what we've learned through the human-centered design approach to other
coverage areas, including our Census 2020 plans.

As the policy debates over early childhood education continue to intensify in California, it is
critical that our reporting reflects the concerns of the people who are affected the most:
parents and caregivers who are steeped in early childhood work. We are eager to start
informing, connecting, and convening these stakeholders, especially those who are not
already familiar with KPCC or NPR.
The approach we have outlined is experimental but well worth the time and effort. We are
applying what we have learned to other coverage areas in our newsroom, including our
Census 2020 plans. We are also excited to document our work and distribute it throughout
the journalism community.
It is our hope that our successes (and, possibly, failures) will accelerate the field of learning
so that public media can play a more active role in engaging new audiences.
This project was made possible with support from the Atlas Family Foundation, the LA
Partnership for Early Childhood Investment,The Carl & Roberta Deutsch Foundation, and
the Tikun Olam Foundation.

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