This Vancouver resident made it through a painful 1980s recession, an abusive relationship, hunger and uncertainty.
And given her track record, it's pretty clear that the current economic downturn is no match for Crafton – or her employer.
Crafton is a supply and procurement assistant for Clark County's largest nonprofit organization, Educational Opportunities for Children and Families – just one of many social service agencies struggling with tightening state and federal budgets and with an increase in demand for services fueled by rising unemployment and sinking housing values across the region.
Though times are definitely tough, EOCF executive director Doug Lehrman, while remaining cautious about ongoing challenges, is confident about the potential of early education initiatives designed to break the cycle of poverty.
"I don't foresee a quick turnaround here. I think things are going to continue to be tight – budget wise – for us, and certainly for the rest of the county and the state for the next year or so," Lehrman said. "We're just trying to hunker down and survive these times while keeping an optimistic spirit and continuing to move forward, because the kids and families we serve really need us to do that."
The mission of EOCF is to strengthen children and families with a commitment to early learning, child development education and community partnerships to give kids the best possible start in their school experiences. Started in 1967 as a vehicle to fund similar social programs, EOCF has come to focus on services comprising of three early education programs.
Crafton has been volunteering, working and attending classes at EOCF for 24 years, and says she owes her life to the nonprofit – literally. She recalls her lowest time painfully; one in which she devised an escape for her sons, and herself, from her ex-husband.
During that difficult period for Crafton and her family, EOCF employees and volunteers provided her with childcare services, food and gas vouchers.
"We're here today because of a few dedicated people," Crafton said. "I believe in what we do, because I know it works."
Lehrman points to the HighScope Perry Preschool Study, which documents the long-term impact of early learning programs, as one of the most effective ways of turning troubled families like the Craftons around. The study found students participating in programs like those at EOCF were more likely to graduate from high school, stay out of jail and to support themselves financially than children entering school without an early learning program.
"The direct beneficiaries are children and families," Lehrman said. "It [also] provides positive outcomes for the entire community by reducing strains on our social service and criminal justice system."
This could explain the growing interest in early education initiatives across Washington, partially driven by Gov. Christine Gregoire's plan to create a State Department of Early Learning.
Another boon to the early education movement is the "Thrive by Five" partnership of public and private entities, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Boeing Co. The Gates Foundation, with an estimated total endowment of over $30 billion, recognized multiple cost-benefit analyses showing long-term economic returns of $4 to $8 for every dollar invested in early learning.
However, even with state support, early learning is still subject to economic pressures. Even with $1.2 billion infusion of federal stimulus money for healthcare, decreasing state revenue and increasing caseloads calls mean that programs like EOCF are still in the red, according to the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.
"Currently, we're only funded to serve about 26 percent of the kids that are eligible in all of our programs in Clark County. So there's a big shortage," Lehrman said.
Lehrman says there is a waiting list of 400 to 500 families for the Early Head Start program.
However, EOCF receives stimulus funding for just one of their three core missions – the Infant Toddler Early Intervention Program, designed to provide referrals to help families access services for infants and young children with developmental problems.
Crafton knows what those parents are facing. Her eldest son, who is developmentally disabled, participated in integrated classes at EOCF. Crafton said the concept of structure is important to proper development for children with disabilities.
"Children don't come with instruction manuals, and having a child with disabilities was even harder," Crafton said. "But one of the most invaluable things that I received here was having a role model for a ‘normal life.' I wanted that with everything within me for my children."
The increase in demand for its services persuaded EOCF to start seeking funding from the local community in 2006. Lately, however, fundraising has been difficult. Last year, the organization saw a 50 percent drop in donations and has had to scale down an event scheduled for Nov. 6.
Though EOCF plans to have more than one event per year in the future, they still rely almost exclusively on federal and state grants to fund activities and services. But Lehrman also pointed to the state's push to bring public recognition and combined public/private funding to early care and learning services as a bright spot.
"Basically, we're optimists in the social services world and tend to see the best in situations and in people, that we can," he said. "We think better times are ahead for early learning programs."
Lehrman hopes EOCF can continue to expand their offerings so every child that needs a quality early learning experience can get one. He said the organization's long-term goals include expanding services to children who don't qualify as low-income applicants – a "fee for service" model, possibly at employer sites or other convenient locations.
But that goal will require a lot of funding, manpower and program development – three things Crafton says she would provide in an instant if she could. For now, Crafton does her best to offer the same services, empowerment and caring she received to others.
"I do this because I know that they're responsible for us turning out the way that we did – for the chance to have a real family," Clifton said. "I'm doing something … I'm giving back to the very organization that gave my children, and me, life."
The state of Washington's children
Facts from the University of Washington's Human Services Policy Center
- With unemployment surpassing 9 percent in Washington State, an additional 37,000 children are expected to enter poverty.
- One of every six children in Washington lives in a family situation experiencing poverty.
- Clark County has between 10.2 and 14.8 percent of children in poverty.
- Recent estimates suggest that children who grow up in poverty cost the U.S. at least $500 billion annually in the form of decreased economic output as adults, involvement with crime and the costs associated with poor health outcomes. Washington's share of this loss is $8.7 billion.
- In Washington, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of families in poverty have a head of household who is employed. Many parents do not make enough money to meet their family's basic needs without public assistance.
