Maureen Maycheco honored by National Diversity Council with DEI Champion Award

Colorado Nonprofit Association communications director Maureen Maycheco has been recognized by National Diversity Council as a DEI Champion awardee for the 2021 National Diversity & Leadership Conference.  

"Being recognized by the National Diversity Council as a DEI Champion awardee for the 2021 National Diversity & Leadership Conference makes my heart feel full of stardust and pride," Maycheco said in a statement. "I am incredibly honored and grateful to be uplifted in this way." 

The DEI Champion Award goes to professionals who are passionate about creating an impact in the field of diversity and inclusion.

The Consequential Nature of Authentic Marketing

As marketers, we often focus on metrics like unsubscribes and unfollows to measure the success of our campaigns. However, the true impact of our work goes beyond these numbers. Authentic marketing demands that we ditch superficial metrics and embrace the consequential nature of our actions.

Authentic marketing involves taking risks, challenging the status quo, and advocating for social justice. It requires us to confront uncomfortable truths and recognize our own biases and privileges. By doing so, we can create meaningful change and contribute to a more inclusive and equitable society.

Research has shown that consumers are increasingly looking for brands that are transparent, authentic, and socially responsible. According to a study by Label Insight, 94% of consumers are likely to be loyal to a brand that offers complete transparency. This indicates that authenticity and integrity are highly valued by consumers.

In our pursuit of authenticity, it is important to listen and reflect on the stories and experiences of marginalized communities. By amplifying BIPOC voices and sharing their truths, we can challenge the structures that perpetuate oppression and racism. Statements and actions that lack authentic values alignment or seek to tokenize or demean BIPOC individuals have no place in our work.

We must also acknowledge that mistakes will be made along the way. Authentic marketing is not about achieving perfection but about learning and growing from our missteps. It requires us to resist the urge to personalize or deflect criticism and instead listen and reflect on how we can improve.

Authentic marketing goes beyond vanity metrics and embraces the consequential nature of our actions. By grounding ourselves in our shared humanity, challenging oppressive structures, and advocating for social justice, we can make a meaningful impact and contribute to a more authentic and inclusive marketing landscape.

2019 Marketer of the Year: Maureen Maycheco

Printed on July 17, 2019 via NonprofitPRO By Nhu Te

Beyond being an award-winning rockstar nonprofit communications professional, Maureen Maycheco created Reach Out and Read Colorado’s New Parent Empowerment Initiative (NPEI), an innovative project focused on empowering expecting moms and disrupting the collective understanding of early literacy behavior change and messaging. Maureen designed an interactive storybook, “A Story About Reading,” to start a conversation with moms about the importance of introducing babies to as many words as possible during the first years of life. Maureen’s vision is to refocus mothers by using messaging that reminds them that being a mother can be hard, but “you are enough,” and “you are great.”

The storybook serves as a tool for pregnant women to guide reading, talking and singing to their baby with the hope of developing a habit of positive interaction, helping expecting mothers feel confident, empowered and well-prepared.

“Maureen is one of the most passionate and innovative young professionals working in the nonprofit field. Her dedication to social good has been a catalyst for our organization to make a significant impact over the past three years. She is an outstanding and creative member of our management team and strives to be an authentic leader in her field,” Meredith Hintze, executive director of Reach Out and Read Colorado, explained in her nomination.

In addition to her role at Reach Out and Read Colorado, Maureen also serves as a steering committee member for the Early Childhood Colorado Partnership, which provides the space and conditions for diverse partners across the comprehensive early childcare system—encompassing health, mental health, family support and early learning—to come together and identify common results, share best practices and implement strategies to improve system effectiveness for Colorado families. There, she advises the partnership on communication strategy and marketing.

Maureen is motivated by her love for implementing innovative strategy, opportunities to connect analytical thinking with real-world problems to find solutions, producing high-quality, meaningful results and fruitful
collaborations.

The Power of Authentic and Respectful Marketing

As marketers, we hold a tremendous amount of power to shape narratives, define values, and connect with people. With this power comes great responsibility—to ensure our actions are authentic, thoughtful, and respectful. Authenticity is key in building trust with our audiences and fostering genuine connections. By staying true to our values and aligning our actions with them, we can create meaningful experiences that resonate with people.

Research has shown that consumers are increasingly seeking out brands that align with their personal values. According to a study conducted by Cone Communications, 87% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product from a company that advocates for an issue they care about. This indicates that consumers are not only looking for quality products or services but also for brands that stand for something meaningful.

In order to make a positive impact through our marketing efforts, we need to challenge the structures from which we derive our power. This means acknowledging and dismantling oppressive systems and amplifying the voices of marginalized communities. We must actively work towards creating equitable and inclusive systems, both within our organizations and in society as a whole.

By embracing diversity and inclusivity, we can catalyze movements and foster positive change. This involves shifting dialogues, amplifying BIPOC voices, and sharing truths. It also requires us to reject inauthentic activities and disingenuous attempts to appear woke. Instead, we must engage in genuine dialogue and take meaningful actions to address issues of oppression and racism.

In conclusion, we have the opportunity to make a significant impact on the way people interact with the world. By approaching our work with authenticity, thoughtfulness, and respect, we can create positive change and contribute to a more equitable and inclusive society.

Doctors in Colorado prescribe books to children to boost literacy skills

Printed on 6 Feb 2018 via APolitical By Jack Graham

Doctors in Colorado are boosting literacy by prescribing books to young children aged six months to five years old.

Run by Reach Out and Read Colorado, a nonprofit, more than 200,000 books a year are being given to around 125,000 kids in the state, three-quarters of whom are from low-income families.

The evidence suggests that prescribing books makes parents in the US two-and-a-half times more likely to read to their children, improving language development by three to six months by the time they reach school.

The books, which come in more than 60 languages, are developmentally appropriate, and prescribed by pediatricians who are specially trained to gauge and help ameliorate children’s literacy. Around 330 clinics participate in 62 out of 64 counties, including more than 1,700 healthcare professionals.

“It just creates such a nice sense of community,” said Dr Larry Wolk, Executive Director and Chief Medical Officer of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “It’s not just targeted to the underserved or to the illiterate: it’s really a true population health approach that can involve everyone.”

"The path to improving literacy as a pediatrician is to start at the very young age of six months"

Now a senior civil servant, Wolk was one of the original pediatricians who partnered with the national organisation Reach Out and Read in 1997. Seven years later, Reach Out and Read Colorado was set up as a nonprofit to grow and organise the program in the state.

Wolk, who still practices as a pediatrician once a week, emphasises the need to think broadly about the social determinants of health, which includes making sure kids have access to better education and jobs. “The path to that is literacy,” he said. "And the path to improving literacy as a pediatrician is to start at that very young age of six months, getting kids to appreciate books and getting the child and their family to read.”

Reach Out and Read Colorado utilises health data on how many families in each county are uninsured or underinsured to decide where to prioritise their efforts to expand the program. They also target military communities.

[caption id="attachment_14589" align="alignnone" width="1024"]Medical professionals are the second most useful resource after their own parents for advice[/caption]

“For the child, it’s an opportunity to read aloud and learn,” explained Maureen Maycheco, Communications Director at Reach Out and Read Colorado. “For the healthcare provider, it’s a tool to be able to assess the child.”

Participating pediatricians are trained online, which usually takes about an hour and a half. The training includes video clips of providers in the exam room modelling the intervention, guidance on things like using the books to monitor child development, and information on how to communicate with parents who struggle with English. In addition to the books that are prescribed, several more are placed in waiting rooms for parents and their children to peruse.

The scheme takes advantage of the fact that healthcare providers occupy a key role in the lives of young families. Nearly 90% of all young children see their provider at least annually, compared to the less than one-third who attend formal childcare. Meanwhile, according to Generation X parents (aged 35 to 50) in the US, medical professionals are the second most useful resource after their own parents for advice, information and guidance.

Building a rapport with parents is a key aspect of the program, which makes language-appropriate books especially important. “We’ve heard from our families that even when they’re illiterate in their native language, they recognise those letters and symbols,” said Meredith Hintze, Executive Director of Reach Out and Read Colorado. They appreciate that doctors “took the time to have a book that was unique for that family.”

“There was an opportunity even for some of the parents to learn along with their children,” said Wolk. “Moving up through the developmentally appropriate books could be very helpful for a parent who struggles with their own literacy.”

Overall, running the program costs approximately $1 million each year, which includes around 10-15% from government grants.

The state government also supports the program by looking out for more funding opportunities, and helping to promote it more generally. The latter has included initiatives such as One Book 4 Colorado – organised in partnership with Reach Out and Read Colorado – in which all four-year-olds in the state are given a free book each spring.

A number of government leaders such as Wolk have been involved with Reach Out and Read Colorado before taking their positions. “We don’t need to explain to them what the program is, how it looks, how it impacts families,” said Hintze. “Because they served families and saw the look on a child’s face at one point or another in their career.”

Moving forward, Wolk wants to work towards making it a required component of children’s healthcare visits. He sees this as part of a broader change in healthcare that he advocates for: "The evolution is how do we shift from this fee-for-service system to a value-based system.”

In 2018, Reach Out and Read Colorado are piloting two new programs to begin literacy development even earlier. Their New Parent Empowerment Initiative (NPEI) aims to engage with parents in the information-gathering stage before birth, and the "0-6 Month" program plans to scale early literacy interventions. The plan is to reach more than 2,500 expectant mothers and prescribe more than 15,000 books to families with infants in the Denver metro area.

"The pediatrician is in a good position to screen the mother during pregnancy or shortly afterwards for depression"

The reasoning behind the new schemes is that the literacy gap starts very early. One landmark study, for example, showed a word gap by the age of three to the tune of 30 million words.

Wolk also points out that these new projects could help in identifying potential risks earlier. “We have seen, from a public health standpoint, a rise in postpartum depression,” he said. “The pediatrician is in a good position to screen the mother during pregnancy or shortly afterwards for depression.”

These new projects are also important for maintaining the interest of funders, which can be difficult for a project which has been running for a number of years. “As we’ve expanded, fundraising and getting support for that work is a challenge,” said Hintze. “Also, as we’ve run these pilots, and we recognise: ‘Wow, it’s very impactful for families. Now we need to field that work to the 330 clinics because we know that it’s good work’.”

Reach Out and Read Colorado plan to continue growing and reach all at-risk kids between six months and five years old in the state by 2020. As the project continues to grow, it’s increasingly important to maintain fidelity to the model, so that the quality of the intervention isn’t sacrificed by its wide reach.

Pediatricians like Wolk believe the scheme, which now has practices in every state in the US, has huge potential to help close the achievement gap and remove children from cycles of poverty. It also makes life more enjoyable for the health providers themselves: being able to prescribe books to kids as a treat.

(Picture credits: One Thousand Design)

When should I start reading to my baby? It’s never too early

Printed on 6 February 2019 via BOLD By Jack Graham

Reading aloud to a child from an early age can be a vital tool in boosting their early development. Even by the age of two, substantial gaps in skills can emerge between children from different backgrounds – gaps which follow them well into their adult lives.

So when should parents start doing it? According to experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, you should begin from birth. The trouble is, though, a baby’s first six months can be pretty overwhelming for parents. The number one concern is keeping the baby healthy, and messages about early literacy can pile on more pressure.

“How do you not feel like you’re behind already?” said Maureen Maycheco, Communications Director at Reach Out and Read Colorado, a nonprofit which uses healthcare providers to prescribe books to approximately 125,000 preschool children around the state, predominantly from low-income families (article on Apolitical.co).

Maycheco and her colleagues realised that reaching parents during pregnancy, a stage of information gathering, could be a more powerful way of improving early literacy. In April 2018, they launched a pilot: the New Parent Empowerment Initiative (NPEI).

Empowering parents

NPEI uses prenatal care appointments to educate and encourage expectant mothers, getting them into the habit of reading to their child. During an appointment, they are given an interactive storybook called “A Story About Reading,” – published in English and Spanish – which includes content on brain development, early literacy and stress management.

Health and social care providers can walk through the tool with mothers, and it “allows them to laugh and talk, and generate a better bond because it’s not so prescriptive,” said Maycheco.

“While there is evidence suggesting reading to an unborn child can have benefits, the greater value of the program is instilling a culture of reading in the young family from birth.”

The key to NPEI has been to create messaging based on parents’ strengths. Early literacy books fail to “tell parents that they are enough,” said Maycheco. The program reinforces the message that “what you’re doing is great,” she said, and “your baby loves you.”

Instead of prescribing how many minutes a parent should be reading to their child, the book uses positive numerical targets. “You’re getting the hang of it!” it says at the end of one section. “You just read 326 words out loud to your baby.”

Reaching out

The distribution has been more difficult than in the main Reach Out and Read Colorado program – which uses paediatricians in health centre appointments – due to the diversity of professionals working in the prenatal space, from nurses to social workers. In spite of this, they have already worked with over 2,500 expectant mothers, in eight clinics and through 22 mobile nurses.

The pilot is being evaluated based on how much it has positively shaped parents’ knowledge and behaviours associated with reading aloud during pregnancy. Draft results soon to be published show promising results from participating mothers, though from just 100 mothers’ feedback. 78 of them reported they read aloud to their babies, and 70 agreed that reading aloud while pregnant helps a baby’s development. The program needs to continue expanding, gaining feedback and gathering long-term evidence to prove impact, said Maycheco.

“Reading stories to a baby in the womb could prove to be much more significant than you might expect.”

While there is evidence suggesting reading to an unborn child can have benefits, the greater value of the program is instilling a culture of reading in the young family from birth. Although it’s difficult to measure, the socioeconomic achievement gap is believed to be closely related to the early childhood learning environment in the home.

Reading stories to a baby in the womb, therefore, could prove to be much more significant than you might expect.