The Educare program then benefits because both programs are working toward the overall goal. “Their commitment to breaking the cycle of poverty by working with two generations mirrors the focus of many of our faculty members’ research, providing great opportunities for both research and training,” says Hays-Grudo.
Community Continuity
To understand why Tulsa is leading the way in the nation with Educare, one need look no farther than one of the state’s most generous philanthropists. “[George Kaiser] has been a very strong supporter, and that’s not even the right term – he is adamant about breaking the cycle of poverty through early education efforts,” McKenzie says. “There’s no doubt he’s the reason we have more Educare sites than any other city. He’s not only invested money in Educare, but time and effort, and he has dedicated lots of people in his foundation to this cause. Without him, Tulsa Educare wouldn’t be here. Oklahoma City’s Educare wouldn’t be there.” Breaking the cycle of poverty is a phrase one hears often in the Tulsa Educare community. To fully address a child’s educational needs, basic needs must also be a part of the equation. Research shows that poverty is often a problem in single-parent homes, and 67 percent of Tulsa’s Educare enrollment is comprised of one-parent families. Oklahoma ranks fourth in the nation in the number of grandparents who are raising children, a situation linked to the rate of female incarceration in the state. Oklahoma has the highest rate of per capita female incarceration in the nation. These issues of particular note in Oklahoma are only a few of those that Tulsa Educare is attempting to address with its comprehensive program. Because the prob-
lems are so far-reaching, no one agency can be successful on its own. Besides its integral partnership with the George Kaiser Family Foundation, Tulsa Educare partners with the Community Action Project, OU-Tulsa, Tulsa Public Schools and Family & Children’s Services in its attempt to build a successful, quality program. Research shows that the efforts are working. In 2013, Tulsa Educare received an Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence Award, an award from the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits that was given to only nine of the approximately 19,000 nonprofits in the state. The award strengthens Educare’s goal to bring children from low socioeconomic standings up to par with their peers. “Educare children have more extensive vocabularies and are better able to recognize letters, numbers and colors than their peers,” Calhoun says. Educare’s most recent program analysis detailed how the program’s children develop strong social skills, including self-confidence, persistence and methods to manage frustration. These abilities are related to success in all areas of life. The report summarized that early findings indicate the “gains Educare children make hold as they move through elementary school.” “I like the whole program, from the time I walk in the door and see all the smiling people, it’s just a great place with really helpful people,” says Gerald Foster, a grandfather and guardian of Nevaeh, who attends Hawthorne. Foster, 58, who has already raised four children, says he did not imagine he would be raising any more and is thankful for Educare. “If I had to do all the stuff they do, if I didn’t have any help, I would be really worn out,” he says. The extended hours are helpful to Foster, who works at the Tulsa Housing Authority, and takes Nevaeh to school at 7 a.m. Nevaeh, who will turn 4 in April, has an “all-around happiness” about her, Foster says, because of Educare. “She’s just a better person than she would have been. She comes in and talks about her teachers and the other children. I can see that they spend a lot of time with her,” he says. “It’s kind of a struggle being a grandfather, having a granddaughter to raise, but anything I need, any questions I have, they help me out.”
“A key to the success of the Tulsa Educare program is its partnerships – with other agencies, with parents, with schools and with the communities in which the schools operate.”
TULSA’S FIRST EDUCARE SITE WAS BUILT ADJACENT TO KENDALL-WHITTIER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN 2006.
72
OKLAHOMA MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY 2015