Soho Center -

4 1 Y E A R S H E L P I N G A M E R I C A ' S C H I L D R E N A N D F A M I L I E S
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T e l e v i s i o n & R a d i o S p o t s H e l p e d G r o w C A C F P

To see one of Soho's three CACFP spots, just click the Play arrow in the video frame below.

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NOTE: If the video frame with the picture of the girl eating a muffin is not displayed above, it probably means that you do not have Adobe Flash Player installed on your computer. You can install Flash from the Adobe.com. If you get an Error Message when you click on the Play arrow above, please CLICK HERE to play the PSA directly from YouTube. YouTube will open in a new window or tab.

A Testimonial:

"In the beginning we were overwhelmed by the vast number of calls we received, having to scramble to keep up with all the callers wanting to know more about the Child Care Food Program. Almost immediately we added several new providers to our program and had several more going through the process of becoming registered.

"We continue to receive anywhere from five to ten calls a week. Child care providers and parents with children in care keep calling to find out more about the Food Program giving us the opportunity not only to recruit new providers to the program but to provide parents with education on the merits of the program.

"The quality of the PSAs coupled with the catchy 800-number [1-800-A1-KIDS-1] are the reasons we have had such good success. Our agency has always associated itself with quality service and materials. To make a PSA that would meet our high standards would have been cost-prohibitive. The PSAs provided by the Soho Center offered a perfect solution.

"Thank you for being so supportive and providing us with the technical assistance to get this project off the ground successfully. You are providing a terrific service!

Child Care Support Services
Portland, Oregon

More Praise for Soho's Media/Outreach Campaign

"I think your campaign is wonderful."
       David S. Liederman, Former Executive Director
       Child Welfare League of America (CWLA)

"I have seen your commercials. They are beautiful."
       Ruth Anne Foote, Manager, Early Childhood Forum
       National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies

"The commercials give a meaningful message about the family child care profession. We congratulate you
for your efforts to reach unregulated providers and bring them into the system which will provide professional recognition, regulation/licensing, peer support, training, and education. We look forward to a successful REACH Initiative in every state!"
       Deborah Eaton, Former President
       National Association For Family Child Care

Soho's commercials were written and produced by a multi-award-winning media team. The commercials feature Linda Ronstadt singing Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" and include lots of engaging footage of kids and providers; the up-beat narrative explains the USDA Food Program in a very positive, non-threatening manner - exactly what's needed. Soho's commercials encouraged child care providers (and parents whose children are in family child care) to call for more information about the Food Program.

Background About the CACFP Outreach Campaign
For well over a decade, the Soho Center has helped non-profits across the country use Soho's three, highly produced 0:30 second television and radio commercials to publicize the CACFP and recruit low-income and/or rural providers to their programs. CACFP Sponsors constantly deal with turnover in the child care field and need to "keep their numbers up" - and Sponsors are faced with the challenge of growing their programs with limited administrative budgets for outreach activities.

Thanks to Soho, sponsors wanting to build up their programs by recruiting new child care providers had an important new way to do just that - without needing to use their regular administrative budget. Soho even identified an available source of funding. The USDA provided sponsors with the needed funds to recruit more providers to their programs - with costs completely covered by a USDA Rural/Low Income Expansion Grant. (Click Here to see the actual USDA regulations, including information on CACFP Rural/Low-Income Expansion Grants.)

The Soho Center helped many sponsors write their Grant requests. Soho then provided its high-quality TV and radio campaign - including public relations advice as well as recruitment and intake assistance.

In addition to Soho's successful, large-scale outreach trials in Virginia, the commercials have been used by USDA Food Program Sponsors in Utah, Maine, Virginia, Oregon/Washington, South Dakota, Alabama, New Mexico, Nebraska, and Mississipi.

NOTE: While the USDA is prohibited from recommending or endorsing specific products, if you want feedback or references on the Soho Center, you may contact Mr. Tom Leverich, USDA Regional Office, New Jersey at 609-259-5139 or e-mail him at Thomas.Leverich@fns.usda.gov

CLICK HERE to see the Frequently Asked Questions Soho developed
for this campaign. NOTE: The FAQs will open in a new tab or window.

If you have additional questions, please call Jeanna Beker, Director, at 540-923-5012

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