Storytelling and Narrative Strategy for the Child Care Wage Boost Pilot

The Storytelling and Narrative Strategy for the Best Starts for Kids Child Care Wage Boost Pilot is a funding opportunity issued by King County to support communication efforts around its innovative pilot program aimed at improving compensation for child care workers. King County, through its Best Starts for Kids initiative, is making a significant investment in early childhood care by directing over $25 million to provide wage boosts to child care workers between now and 2027. This pilot is not only a financial intervention but also a data-gathering initiative designed to study the impact of public investment in the child care workforce, with findings intended to shape long-term sector reforms. This Request for Proposals (RFP) seeks qualified organizations or teams to design and implement a storytelling and narrative strategy that highlights the outcomes, experiences, and systemic implications of the Child Care Wage Boost Pilot. The project will result in communication products, strategies, and activities that can be used by community stakeholders, policymakers, and the public to advocate for sustained investment in child care. The strategy must align with the values and branding of Best Starts for Kids and King County, and must be accessible, culturally relevant, and linguistically inclusive. The scope of work includes building a comprehensive communications plan in collaboration with various pilot partners, developing and implementing a storytelling approach with pilot participants, designing visuals and materials, developing and maintaining a public-facing website, and disseminating findings. Deliverables span planning, narrative research, storytelling development, website creation, and multimedia production, with clear phases and timelines through December 2027. Key target audiences include King County residents, child care workers (both those participating and not participating in the pilot), sector change agents, and policymakers. Eligible applicants are required to register in the King County E-Procurement Portal. Proposals must be submitted electronically through the portal and adhere strictly to the submission content and format requirements outlined in the RFP. Required documents include a submittal letter, responses to specific proposal questions, a price proposal using the provided attachment, and forms related to equal benefits compliance and small contractor participation. Proposers must answer questions addressing team qualifications, approach, experience with social change communication, multilingual and accessible content, and storytelling. Proposals will be evaluated on a 110-point scale across criteria including qualifications, scope of work approach, storytelling and communications experience, pricing, and small contractor inclusion. A pre-proposal conference was scheduled for August 26, 2025, and all proposals must be submitted by September 22, 2025, at 2:00 PM PT. Communication about the RFP should be directed to the listed contract specialists, Mohammed El-Maadawy and Stephanie Wong. The total amount available for this contract is up to $330,000. The initial contract term is two years, with the possibility of a three-year extension. All deliverables must meet accessibility standards and support narrative equity. The final acceptance of all deliverables will be based on review and approval by King County, and work must be conducted in coordination with Best Starts for Kids staff and partners. Additional work related to child care subsidy strategy may be negotiated in 2026.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the pre-proposal conference and follow the submission format closely.