The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) is the only authorized solicitation of employees in the federal workplace for charitable organizations. The Pacific Northwest CFC serves over 23,000 employees in 33 counties throughout Oregon and SW Washington.

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Raising Better People Through the CFC

One CFC member charity with close ties to the federal community is an organization that provides on-site childcare to federal employees in two office buildings. On a given day a person walking by these sites will see children engaged in dancing, artwork, science experiments, math games, field trips, or any number of teacher-supported, child-initiated activities. For parents, the benefits are obvious--easy access to quality childcare and the ability to check on their children throughout the day.

The positive impact of these centers also extends to the federal agency as a whole, since studies have found that workplaces with on-site childhood development centers see employees stay at their jobs longer, take fewer sick days, and have a better emotional outlook on their job. In short, an on-site daycare center attracts employees, helps employees balance work and home life, and encourages employees to be more productive.

It seems obvious why a parent would contribute to the CFC to support the efforts of this non-profit, but why might other federal employees want to contribute?

To the executive director of this particular charity, supporting childcare is a necessary investment in the future: "Everybody must support quality early childcare" if we want a healthy community, she argues. She cites a study that followed 123 children for nearly 40 years and showed that children enrolled in a high qualiy preschool education program were less likely to be arrested multiple times, more likely to make a living wage, more likely to graduate regular high school, more likey to meet education benchmarks in their teens, more likely to have higher IQs, and less likely to be receiving social services. A dollar invested in giving a child access to a quality preschool education leads to returns of $12.90 for the community, as the child becomes a working, law-abiding, self-sufficient citizen.

Unfortunately, in most cases only high-income parents can afford full-time quality childcare. Attracting and retaining quality teachers is a constant challenge for these centers, as the centers must offer competitive salaries, benefits, and ongoing training, which adds to tuition costs. For many families, enrollment at these centers is simply too expensive.

CFC dollars help charities like this offer tuition assistance to families wishing to enroll a child as well as improving the recruitment and retention of quality teachers at te center. The payoff of these contributions is enormous: not only do these contributions help your coworkers afford quality childcare, but they make it possible to offer quality early childhood education to more children in the community. Investing in children in our community is truly investing in the future.

"We raise better people" if more money goes toward education, the executive director notes. And better people means a healthier, happier community for us all.