How a Strong Team Became Stronger: Celebrating Community Action

When a Community Partner’s work evolves to the point where they’re positioned to carry it forward independently, it’s a milestone worth celebrating. Washington County’s Community Action Organization is doing just that. Their Family Stability team has stepped into a stronger, more visible leadership role in early childhood, and we’re excited to welcome them to SVP’s Community Partner Alumni community as they continue this important work.

Who They Are

Community Action’s Family Stability team houses the Help Me Grow and Healthy Families Program, as well as Washington County's Child Care Resource & Referral Center (CCR&R). Every registered preschool organization in the county is required to use the CCR&R to get certified. Alongside that role, the team wraps families in support services that help them stay stable while their children learn and grow. All of this in the most linguistically and ethnically diverse county in Oregon.

Where the Partnership Began

Four years ago, the Family Stability team was newly formed and looking for support to execute their vision. The vision had two parts. First, to give parents a continuum of culturally responsive wellness information and education, from pre-birth through early childhood. Second, to expand the availability of preschool seats through increased educator resources.

Getting there depended on two things. A stable, skilled, culturally and linguistically specific workforce. And public awareness, so parents, the community, and Early Learning System partners understood why high-quality early childhood care matters and how Family Stability's programs deliver it.

From the start, we also saw an opportunity to pursue this vision as stakeholders in Washington County set the groundwork for more permanent, publicly-funded early childhood services.

What We Accomplished Together

Working from a shared vision, we achieved real results: stronger leaders, refined practices, new resources, and a plan for growth. Throughout the years, over half a dozen SVP Investor Partners helped make this possible, contributing more than 650 skilled volunteer hours across a wide range of projects. This included business plan development for each Family Stability program (Help Me Grow, Healthy Families and CCR&R), culminating in a pitch event with Community Action's leadership and its partners and funders; leadership development for the Department Director and the three program leaders, inclusive HR practices consultation; and fundraising strategy and support that led to $1.5 million in leveraged funds.

Developing Leaders

With workforce development at the forefront, SVP invested directly in the Family Stability team's leadership training. The growth has been inspiring to watch. Program leaders who started as strong practitioners now hold roles that shape the whole region. One became a statewide leader for Oregon’s Child Care Resource & Referral Directors’ Coalition. Another grew their program to serve more of the county's ethnic and linguistic-priority populations. Expert practitioners from the start, the team grew into confident ecosystem leaders who can articulate the value of their impact to anyone in the room.

Strengthening Feedback Loops

Becoming a learning organization committed to quality, culturally responsive programs and continuous improvement was a core goal. SVP invested in professional development to help the team strengthen its practices.

For Karen Henkemeyer, Director of Family Stability, that change is something she feels daily: "I can see exponential growth in six months from SVP's professional development support — and that's with a minimal amount of dollars. What brings me joy every single day is coming to work and seeing what my staff are able to do."

Identifying New Resources

The team needed to be well-resourced for next-stage growth. To expand their capacity to pursue new funding, we jointly hired a grant writer. This opened doors to funders they hadn't reached before. SVP Investor Partner Jim Zuiches, who served as a Lead Partner on this engagement alongside Darcie de Freitas, with Valerie Illsey as Lead Strategic Advisor, reflected on this strategic move: "I found the program leaders skilled, dedicated, and quick to respond to a future-oriented strategy." By partnering together, we helped CAO secure a significant grant from Meyer Memorial Trust and built new funding relationships to sustain their work.

Business Planning for Growth

Preparing to scale preschool access by leveraging publicly-funded programs and related initiatives was a high priority. SVP helped each program leader craft a business plan to guide that growth and develop a clearer understanding of what stakeholders value.

Shared Support

Support ran in both directions. Community Action provided expert feedback for SVP’s Ready to Grow program and referred preschool providers. They also opened the doors of their Multi-Service Center to host one of our cohorts. That space became a pivotal resource for the four-month accelerator that helps preschool leaders expand with practical tools and expert business guidance. A logistical need became a shared investment in the region's early childhood leaders; another example of the power of partnership.

Looking Ahead

Community Action steps forward well positioned for what's next. With mature staff, strong relationships, and steady infrastructure, they're set to keep advancing their work well beyond our partnership. The foundation we built together is theirs now, and we can't wait to see what they build on it.

Carolina Castañeda del Rio, SVP's Director of Community Impact, reflected on what this partnership means across our portfolio: "From the beginning, we saw Community Action as an important pillar of the early childhood ecosystem in Washington County. Not only are we inspired by how the Family Stability Program and leaders have positioned their programs, but we’re also grateful to have developed a mutual and collaborative partnership throughout the years.”