Single Mom Strong's Story is One of Empowerment, Education and Community.

Continuing our theme of organizations serving mother's and children in the month of May, Single Mom Strong brings us yet another perspective on how properly addressing a need can really change lives for the better.

Ever wondered how a single mother's personal journey could transform into a life-changing support network for others like her? Tara Taylor, founder and Executive Director of Single Mom Strong, is here to share her inspiring story. From juggling a demanding real estate career with the trials of single motherhood to addressing systemic barriers such as childcare subsidies and societal stigma, Tara's experiences have shaped an organization committed to uplifting single moms. Her journey and personal challenges were transformed into powerful community initiatives.

Discover the incredible work being done at Single Mom Strong, especially during challenging times like the holidays. The Holiday Adopt-A-Family program is just one of many initiatives that have grown exponentially, helping countless single-parent families feel genuinely supported rather than like charity cases. The Empowerment Center stands as a testament to resilience, offering affordable childcare and educational opportunities tailored specifically for single mothers. Despite opening amid a pandemic, the center has remained one of support, ensuring that single moms have the resources they need to thrive.

Partnerships play a crucial role in augmenting the support provided by Single Mom Strong. With aspirations for expansion and a unique funding model sustaining its growth, Single Mom Strong envisions a future where every single mom has access to the resources she needs. Tara's passion for this community of single moms and the collective effort to raise awareness about their needs is fueling the success of this incredible organization. 

You can learn more about Single Mom Strong by visiting the website HERE.

CHAPTER SUMMARIES

(00:00) Empowering Single Moms Through Community
Single Mom Strong founder shares personal journey, systemic barriers, and importance of community support for single mothers.

(07:41) Supporting Single Moms Through Programs
Single Mom Strong supports families through holiday program and Empowerment Center, providing personalized care and education.

(17:46) Strengthening Single Moms Through Partnerships
Supporting single mothers through childcare, career clothing, partnerships with educators, and community collaborations.

(22:50) Expanding Support for Single Moms
Collaboration among crisis intervention programs and community organizations supports single mothers in Sacramento, with Single Mom Strong's sustainable funding model and vision for expansion.

(32:53) Spreading Awareness for Single Moms
Tara's inspiring journey with Single Mom Strong, raising awareness for smaller nonprofits during Mother's Day.

Thank you so much for listening! We appreciate you. Please visit the website to sign up for our email updates. https://www.nonprofpod.com/ And if you like, leave me a voicemail to comment on the program, leave a question for us to ask in the future or a message for me, Jeff Holden. I may even use your voice mail message in a future episode. https://www.nonprofpod.com/voicemail. Thanks again for your support in listening, commenting and sharing the great work our local nonprofits are accomplishing.

Transcript

Tara Taylor: [00:00:00] So what makes single mom strong different is we are not crisis intervention. So it's not like you show up and you're, you're unhoused or you're having an addiction issue or, so there's not like a start and stop point. Mm-hmm. With single mom strong, right? You're not graduating a program, you're coming into a community and you're taking what you need at different times.

Right? So one year you might need your child to be in preschool and you might need career coaching. The next year you might only show up for community events. What's great is over the years now we see what the cumulative effect is on a family.

Jeff Holden: Hi, I'm Jeff Holden. Welcome to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. Our purpose and passion is to highlight a nonprofit organization in each weekly episode. Giving that organization an opportunity to tell [00:01:00] their story in their words, to better inform and educate the respective communities they serve, as well as provide one more tool for them to share their message to constituents and donors.

Our goal is to help build stronger communities through shared voices, and to both encourage and support the growth of local nonprofit organizations through podcasting, thanks to our founding partners for their foresight in helping us transform the way conversations start. CAPTRUST fiduciary advice for endowments and foundations.

Runyon Saltzman Incorporated, RSE. Marketing, advertising and Public Relations, creating integrated communications committed to improving lives and Western Health Advantage, a full service healthcare plan for individuals, employer groups, and families For the month of May. I've chosen to do something a bit differently with our episodes.

We all know the significance of mothers and children. With Mother's Day in May, I've chosen to use the full month to highlight [00:02:00] organizations supporting moms and their children in our community. If you like this thematic approach, feel free to let me know through the link on the website. Enjoy the episode.

For the most part, I would be comfortable saying the majority of us love our parents, plural, a mother and a father. But that's not true for everyone because they come from a single parent household. Most likely a single mom. Over 25% of the Sacramento County households are headed by single mothers. That's easy.

Math. One in four homes, nearly 42,000 households Now, that's a lot of single mothers and supporting single mothers is crucial for fostering family stability, economic empowerment, and community wellbeing. Numerous local organizations and programs are dedicated to providing comprehensive assistance to single moms and their children.

Single mothers are a force to be dealt with, and they're a force that needs [00:03:00] support and consideration. How does a single mom get to work with young children? Well, that's a daycare issue. How does a single mom learn and grow professionally when she's the sole income for the household? Not to mention cooking, cleaning, and caring for the kids extracurricular activities.

Well, that's a workforce issue. How does a single mom find community that can address both her needs while not having to abandon the children? Well enter Tara Taylor, founder and executive director of Single Moms Strong herself, a single mother. The program was born out of her own personal experience, and what a story it is.

Tara Taylor. Welcome to the nonprofit Podcast Network. 

Tara Taylor: Thanks so much for having me, and thanks for doing this for our community. 

Jeff Holden: I am so excited to speak with you because single moms are such a significant part of our population, and the necessity for them to do a good job is even that much more [00:04:00] important.

So let's get into this conversation. Typically, what we see with organizations serving specific niches like you do, I mean single moms. Mm-hmm. Is that they're born out of personal experience. And I know that's the case with you, but everybody else doesn't. Sure. Would you walk us through what prompted you to embark on such a task?

Tara Taylor: Yes. I was married and divorced very young. I had a daughter at the age of 20 and you know, just matured much, much more quickly than her father did at that stage. And we grew apart and. I had a sense of responsibility over the wellbeing of my child, as every parent does. Sure. Um, and so I really focused on building my career and being present for my daughter.

And the way I could do that was entrepreneurship. So I was very successful in my professional life, and despite having financial resources, I still found single [00:05:00] parenting extremely challenging. So there were many. Points throughout my, my parenting where I felt like, why is this so hard? You know, and how could we make it a little easier for young moms coming behind me?

And so, as those moments stood out, and once my daughter, daughter left for college, I thought perhaps I could use my life experience and my business experience to make a difference for other moms. 

Jeff Holden: You went from zero to 18 years old in about 30 seconds. Yeah. 

Tara Taylor: Yeah. Well, it wa what I can say is it was a very long, hard journey in a lot of ways.

I remember the moments like waiting at the mailbox for a child support check that didn't show up. Mm-hmm. I remember a lot of really interesting, um, systemic barriers like. The childcare subsidies that have an income cap that's a little too low for you to do well for yourself, but not enough for you to really thrive.

And so there were just things that stood out in that journey. And there was [00:06:00] also, you know, being, getting to a point in my career where I could afford and could provide pretty well for my daughter. And she was an athlete and wanted to play soccer and so she was on a traveling team and I was the only single mom out there and there was a lot of.

Moments where I felt really the stigma around single parenting and, you know, this is only 25 years ago. Mm-hmm. So you would think people would have been more evolved, but there was a lot of judgment. So those different things, you know, different pieces of my journey where I just thought that, you know, this isn't right.

And the bottom line is that. Every single mom is just like every other parent. They want the best outcome for their child. Mm-hmm. Right. And most of us didn't get here by choice. And you know, so what can we do to remove the barriers to their success? And so that's what really single mom strong is about.

Jeff Holden: And to your point of you're working a full-time job. Mm-hmm. And yours was not a nine to five. It included weekends real estate and, and yeah. [00:07:00] All sorts of activity. Not to mention. You're playing coach mm-hmm. With your daughter's team. I mean, the demands on the time of a single parent are tremendous. 

Tara Taylor: Yes.

Jeff Holden: And the pressure of knowing that the financial side of things has to be taken care of as well. 

Tara Taylor: Yes, yes. You know, I, I got my associate's degree first, and I did that by, by studying three hours a night when I put my daughter to bed. So nine to 12 was school. For me, and then I got my real estate license the same way.

Then I got a broker's license the same way. But it was also, you know, like being on the soccer field, taking a business call, you know, just managing things however I could, the great thing about that was I had a child in a mortgage and I had to provide, so I did. Mm-hmm. And for me that was motivation enough.

Not everybody's fueled the same way I am, of course, but, but it really spurred me to do well for myself, which is great. But it was a lot of competing [00:08:00] priorities all the time. And that's true for every single parent. You have to be the breadwinner and the disciplinarian and the teacher and the friend and, you know, make the meals.

And it's so much responsibility and many single parents don't have a lot of support. Maybe not good examples. You know, my, my own parenting, my mom was like the worst example of a single mom I had. I had seven stepdads in my course of my growing up. So. I knew what not to do. Mm-hmm. But I didn't have a support system and I didn't know what to do other than, you know, just keep moving forward.

Jeff Holden: Well, fortunately she did something well enough to get you to where you are today, so 

Tara Taylor: Yes, they're fair. Some something was self motivation. Right, and and discipline some place. Yeah, for sure. In some way, shape, or form for sure. 

Jeff Holden: And that's what I wanted to get out of that. Little interlude there. Yeah.

Because it is so challenging, and we're going to have women who are single moms listening. Mm-hmm. And wanting to learn more about [00:09:00] the organization, how it benefits them and what they can do. Yeah. And what they can, what they can do differently, because maybe what is being done today isn't working as well as they would like it to.

Tara Taylor: Yeah. I think the, the most important thing that Single Mom Strong provides is. The community and community is such an overused word now, but you know, I am, I touched on being kind of othered, right? And you know when, when you're a single parent, your single friends don't have kids and your married friends have each other, and so you're kind of in your own box.

But the great thing about single mom strong and the community that we've built is that all of these moms know what it feels like to carry all those balls in the air, right? And so they're really. They have really strong bonds around that experience, and it gives you someone to lean on, right? So if you don't have a lot of support, now you have someone who speaks your language.

And, you know, 1300 someones now, 'cause we have 1300 moms locally that are involved in the community. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. Which is amazing to me, that number. 

Tara Taylor: Yeah. It, [00:10:00] it is amazing. And it's also like a drop in the bucket. There are 140 ish thousand single parent households in our region. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah, I remember you saying that.

And if I'm not mistaken, 26% of our kids are parented by single moms. 

Tara Taylor: That is correct. That's, um, 33% by single parents. So 26% are moms specifically. Wow. Yeah. And you know, you think that's a, that's a big chunk of our population, right? Of quarter. And so, yeah. So why aren't we paying more attention to this type of household, right?

Mm-hmm. It's not going anywhere, hasn't gone anywhere. It's been around that percentage for many, many years. And you know, like I said, most single parents, they just want the best for their kids, their parents, right? And so since that's such a big segment of our, our future, what can we do to bolster the outcomes for that type of family?

Jeff Holden: So in 2017 is when you decided. You're gonna start something. 

Tara Taylor: I did, yes. You could ask my daughter's godmother. Apparently, [00:11:00] I, I called the name out 10 years before that. I had said single mom strong. It's 

Jeff Holden: a great name. 

Tara Taylor: Thank you. 

Jeff Holden: It is a great 

Tara Taylor: name. Thank you. So there were pieces coming along, along the way, and finally when, like I said, my daughter left for college and had all those free Saturdays.

'cause no more soccer games. I, I knew I could use, you know, my business experience plus this lived experience to make a difference and. So I started with holiday adoptive family. I love Christmas. I love giving. And I also remember, you know, I told you there's like things that stick out in your journey as a single parent.

And I remember the hard years where, you know, I want to give my daughter everything and I just can't. Mm-hmm. Right? And so. When you're a struggling, not even struggling, but just barely getting by single parent. Um, something like a holiday can be really challenging. And so we started with holiday adoptive family, really just to pour some love into some single parent families.

I. We learned a lot in that first year. [00:12:00] We adopted two families. Now, last year we adopted 74. 

Jeff Holden: So you still do the program? Yeah. 

Tara Taylor: Every year? Yes. 

Jeff Holden: 74 families? Yes. Wow. And, 

Tara Taylor: and we do it a lot different, you know, single mom strong is what the name implies. It's very much about uplifting, about pouring into people who are lifting themselves up as well.

And so we don't let things feel like charity. We call our center, the Empowerment Center for a reason. People, you know, come use our free clothing closet, but they get personal shopping appointments and, you know, so everything is is from a perspective, it's built to really bolster their confidence. So holiday adoptive family is the same thing.

We don't, you know, have you walk through and pick one toy. We wrap the whole family in love. They have a meal. Mom gets gifts. The kids get needs and wants and it's been beautiful that, you know, the donors are matched with the families, given parameters of their choice, but they, they get to know the family through their letter and application.

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Tara Taylor: And we've had custom skateboards made for kids and, you [00:13:00] know, just really cool holiday love, 

Jeff Holden: special gifts. 

Tara Taylor: Absolutely. And that really makes a difference. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, absolutely. And, and they recognize the interest. Yes. It's not, I'm just not getting some No. Somebody took an interest in me. Yes. Somebody cared.

Yes. Somebody actually cared. Yes. You touched on some of the programs, let's go there because you made it through a pandemic. Mm-hmm. When you were just starting out. Mm-hmm. And, and that's a big deal in itself, just to survive the pandemic. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: I'm sure that was a little bit of an eyeopening experience. 

Tara Taylor: Yes, it was.

We started in 2017, like you said, and we opened our building in 2019. So the first couple of years. Yeah. The first couple of years we were just hosting these events to connect moms and kids. Right. Uhhuh, giving them opportunities to spend meaningful time together. After we built the community significantly, then it was time to build out the programs and services.

And the most important one to me initially was early childhood education and childcare because they, for so [00:14:00] many reasons, affect that family from both a child's perspective. And moms mom can't continue to grow in her career if she doesn't have solid childcare. And or if the subsidy keeps her in a low wage role.

Right. So there's there's that. Exactly. Which is one of the challenges. 'cause 

Jeff Holden: there's some great programs out there, but they're capped. Yes. And as soon as you succeed Yes. You lose. Yes, exactly. Because you get to the income level, now you have to pay for childcare. And the childcare brings you backwards.

Yes. You get it Where you, oh, I hear it from so many people who have sat in that chair and it's, we're missing something. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. Yes. So it is a very broken system, and for that reason I was really determined to gather the right people to create a program that works. Mm-hmm. So we opened the Empowerment Center in 2019 and started hosting Empower Me Preschool, which is 35 ish percent lower cost, specifically caters to and by lower 

Jeff Holden: cost, meaning 35% less expensive than 

Tara Taylor: regional average.

Traditional. Traditional. Okay. [00:15:00] Yeah. Specifically meets the needs of children, of single parents. So for example, we talked about kind of the gaps, right? Mom has to be all these things, wear all these hats. Well, she might not get to read to her children or child every single night, or as much as she would like.

And we all know the correlation between literacy and success in life, right? So in our center, we read to our kids five times a day minimum. 

Jeff Holden: Hmm. 

Tara Taylor: And just trying to fill that gap. So those kinds of things. Having trauma informed care providers, understanding that this child might have switched homes on.

Monday morning. So maybe that's why they're having big emotions and giving them space for that. So our centers were created for these kids and also significantly lower priced, but we also made a commitment to be open every day that school is closed. So. Not only do we have our ongoing preschool program, but we have a childcare program for school-aged kids.

Because if you're a working mom like I was, if summer's 10 weeks long, how do you go to work for 10 weeks? Correct. Right. And so that was a real challenge [00:16:00] for me. I used to take my daughter to the city parks. I. Programs, but they would end at three o'clock. Mm-hmm. And so how do you continue your full-time position?

So knowing that we made this commitment to the community, we are open every day. School is closed. And then school was closed for 15 months and Oops. Didn't see that coming. No, no, no. We thought it was gonna be summer or you know, spring break. Summer break, but. It was like the magic happened because essential workers were able to go to work.

We had people coming all the way from Elk Grove to use our childcare because they had nowhere for their kids to go. And I'm a nurse, I have to go, right? Mm-hmm. And so it was a beautiful and incredibly difficult time. You know, kids with, we had 15 schools represented at one point, like kids working on different learning platforms, different school districts, different grades.

And we just all dug in and made sure it happened for them. So as much as, you know, taking on [00:17:00] all that overhead right before a pandemic was crazy, it was as if it was meant to be so that those moms could continue to work and those kids had a safe place to go. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. You're, you're right. That's baptism by fire.

Totally. That is, you are in it. Totally. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And you learned a ton, I'm sure, as you went through the process of the significance of absorption. Whatever it may be, whenever it was needed. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. That's one thing I will say that we do well, is we listen to our community. It's really about what, what single moms in this region need.

It's not about what I think they need. Mm-hmm. Um, I think sometimes nonprofits get really siloed in, you know, their mission, their way, and what we've done is really adopted, you know, and we've been nimble right, in that way. And it's worked well for us. 

Jeff Holden: We'll continue the conversation of resilience, perseverance, and success of single moms with Tara Taylor of Single Moms Strong, right after these words from those who [00:18:00] make our program possible.

I'm thrilled to have Western Health Advantage partnering with us as they do so much to support so many nonprofit agencies in our community. As a truly local health plan, you'll find individual and family options, employer options plans for CalPERS and Medicare Advantage. From medical services to pharmacy health and wellness support, as well as behavioral healthcare, Western Health Advantage has a plan that fits what you need as an employer for profit or nonprofit business, individual or family.

You can find more@westernhealth.com. 

Scott Thomas: Hello, this is Scott Thomas with CAPTRUST in our Sacramento office. I specialize in working with local nonprofits and associations annually. We survey private and public nonprofit organizations across the country to better understand challenges they see in today's environment.

In our more recent survey, we heard concerns about proper board governance, mission aligned investment, and how to implement alternative investments. If you would like a copy of [00:19:00] the survey or do discuss your organization, look me up, scottThomas@captrust.com. 

Jeff Holden: If your organization is looking for non volunteer positions at any level, consider using our platform for your recruitment, whether in podcast content or in the newsletter the audience we're speaking to.

Has your next teammate. Simply reach out to me through the website, nonprofit pod.com for a customized solution to your open positions. Tell me a success story or two of somebody that's gone through the program. Single mom really challenged, initially, gets into single mom strong and progresses through.

Tara Taylor: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And I'm sure you have many, many. 

Tara Taylor: There are quite a few. So what makes single mom strong different is we are not crisis intervention. So it's not like you show up and you're. Experiencing you're unhoused or you're having an addiction issue or, so there's not like a start and stop point. Mm-hmm. With single mom, strong, right?

You're not graduating a program, you're [00:20:00] coming into a community and you're taking what you need at different times. Right? So one year you might need your child to be in preschool and you might need career coaching. The next year you might only show up for community events. What's great is over the years now, we see what the cumulative effect is on a family.

Right? And so there are some that stand out, like particularly one who has become a friend of mine. She was really challenged during the pandemic because she wanted to become a nurse. She was finishing a nursing school and wanted to become a nurse. She was also the sole provider for her kids and was really challenged with.

Is it safe for me to do this job? I've really wanted to do, and I feel responsible. 'cause now I have the training to do the job I really want to do, but I have to be here for my kids. What if I were the one to get sick? And so this. Really heavy choice, right? Mm-hmm. She did career coaching with us. She did go on to become a nurse.

She was completely fulfilled [00:21:00] by her effort during the pandemic. Her kids were with us for the, you know, break camp so that she could go to that work. And now years later, she has a tattoo of our logo on her arm because it reminds her of her strength. And that to me, I think is so, I went with her. I actually have, I went with her 'cause she reached out and she was like, can I tattoo your lo?

And I was like. Yeah, let's go. So 

Jeff Holden: how neat is that? But 

Tara Taylor: just the fact that it impacted her life to that degree to where she wanted, you know, it on her body as a, as a memory is really amazing to be a part of. Mm-hmm. And then we have the kids, you know, and the kids. I could name a thousand kids stories, but.

We support our kids in a lot of ways. We have a men's mentoring program, which is positive male influence in the life of children of single moms. We have the preschool, we have the childcare, but we also, they're coming in and out of our center over years. Now, they might be there for childcare because mom's going to mom's night out, or they might be there [00:22:00] because it's summer break or you know, men's mentoring, whatever.

But there are these kids now that have six years of single mom strong and. For example, at Valentine's Day I had a child who was going to the back to, to make a valentine for her mom, and one of the options was to like decorate a picture frame. Mm-hmm. Because we take a picture and she decorated picture frame for her picture with me and came out and said, can we take a picture so I can put this in my room?

And those things really, really are touching. Mm-hmm. Because this child is quote unquote at childcare. But it actually feels like family. Mm-hmm. And that I think is really powerful. 

Jeff Holden: And I would imagine the children that go through the process of childcare over years bond. 

Tara Taylor: Like 

Jeff Holden: anywhere else. They're a community too.

They're a community into themselves. 

Tara Taylor: Yeah. It's, it's really cool to see them come back. So, you know, winter break, spring break, summer break, it fills completely every time. And it's usually, you know, 75% kids who were here previously. And so they're coming [00:23:00] back to their crew. Right, right. And their covid crew, and they're last summer's crew and so they're to their own community as well, which is really cool 

Jeff Holden: in the.

Childcare realm. How many children are you dealing with on any given day 

Tara Taylor: between two locations? About, we're licensed for 102 and so just depends on the day, what's going on. But that's a 

Jeff Holden: significant number. 

Tara Taylor: Yes, yes. And you know, in my dreams we'll be, it'll be 500 at a time. We're gonna get there one step at a time.

Hold that 

Jeff Holden: thought. Hold that thought. So the one thing we didn't touch on is the clothing. Closet that you've got as well. And I think it's important just so people know that you also do have the ability, so, so you help them, you coach them, they're empowered, they get the job. Oh no. 

Tara Taylor: Mm-hmm. I 

Jeff Holden: can't afford the clothes right now to, yes.

To do what I need to do. Yes. 

Tara Taylor: That is a really big piece. And I think, oh, you. You take for granted, right? Like, oh, I have a job interview. Let me go buy a new blazer. Not [00:24:00] everyone can do that. Right? And it's, it's a really powerful piece of your confidence as well, right? When you can walk in feeling good about yourself.

So that to me was the last I. Piece. That was the final piece of our career advancement programming. So we do career exploration, which gives women information and access to industries that are growing and have high income potential because we recognize that single moms get trapped in low wage roles.

That's step one. Step two, we do career coaching. So one-on-one coaching sessions that give Mom really dedicated time that. Is about a single parent getting this job right, not just a random person. Mm-hmm. But how does my family function with this job? Right. And then the last piece, you know, you're, you're ready.

You've had done your mock interviewing and your resumes updated. You need some, you need to feel great going to that interview. Right. And so we do personal shopping appointments. We have what we call the career clothing closet. It is really well supported by the community, which I love. Work wear has [00:25:00] changed over the years.

Right. But you still need to go to an interview or a first day at the job looking like a professional. But a lot of people have less need for their professional clothing. So we have a whole store where our women shop for free, and it's not charity. It's enriching their lives. It's, it's, you know, pulling the racks out and giving them an hour to pick all they want and fill as many bags as you can, and we'll see you next month.

Jeff Holden: And that's an easy thing for somebody who's listening because we know the listener, I. Tends to be a professional in many cases, leadership and nonprofits. Mm-hmm. Or philanthropic giver. And they're interested. And so many times we just bring it to a place. Yes, that happens to be convenient, but this goes to a really relative cause.

Yeah. So for those professional women who happen to be listening, yes, we know you get dressed up, we see you at the events, Uhhuh. Please think of single mom strong for this opportunity to give those clothes to somebody who could really, really use them [00:26:00] for a purpose when it's time. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. To donate them. Um, and I think it, it's really meaningful.

That's why our closet is so stocked, because it means something, you know, when you spend a significant amount of money on an outfit and then you just go give it to someone who's gonna sell it for $3, it doesn't have any meaning. But with us, it really does. So, 

Jeff Holden: and if it's anything, which I'm sure many of our listeners are not that dissimilar from my wife.

There's a rotating closet Yeah. Of clothing. Yeah. That is, is good stuff. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. Yes. And what what is really great, um, I am all about collaborative relationships. And what's really great is whatever we don't use, we then take to women's empowerment, which is another great women serving agency Yeah. In our, in our community.

So nothing gets wasted. 

Jeff Holden: And you just segued into the next question, because collaboration's important, and I can see so many places you can touch. I mean, you're, you're dealing with children, you're dealing with. Childcare, you're dealing with the moms and [00:27:00] employers. Who are some of the people that you collaborate with?

Tara Taylor: There are so many from a lot of different perspectives. So the first thing that comes to mind is our early childhood educators. It's really, really important to me. You know, I'm, I'm addressing this concern from a lot of different angles. It's really important to me that we are creating trauma informed educators and that we are pouring into early childhood educators, which are the lowest wage earners of all educators.

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Tara Taylor: And giving them the tools to really, I. Deal with this generation of children. So we partner with the ECE apprenticeship program with the City of Sacramento, which is ECE is Early Childhood Education Educator. Mm-hmm. Where they get free education in exchange for work experience in our sites.

Mm-hmm. We also partner with Krista Ray High School. Another, um, very familiar with it. Yeah. Another organization that does great work and they are our interns in our program because, you know, one of the things that makes our program so great is lots of hands, [00:28:00] lots of hearts right? And lots of different perspectives.

So having the high school interns that wanna play with our kids and is, it's really beautiful to see. So those partnerships are, are. Excellent. And then, you know, from the other direction, as I think I touched on in the beginning, there are lots of crisis intervention programs in Sacramento. Not a lot of long-term resources.

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Tara Taylor: And most of the crisis intervention programs have a an end point. Right. You graduate or your time's up or whatever the case is. But many of the people who come out of those programs are single moms, and they still need community. They still need connection and resources and, and they might come out of those programs often with, you know, entry level job skills.

Mm-hmm. And we are the next step. And so, uh, we collaborate with all of the. Organizations serving unhoused women, St. John's Program, women's Empowerment Weave, and then we partner with a lot of the family serving organizations [00:29:00] and just really trying to be that next step and community for people after the crisis and hopefully avoid the crisis altogether in the future.

Jeff Holden: That's exactly what I wanted to hear and and I expected to hear because the organization's been successful. You're not doing it alone. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: And you're a feeder and a resource. A support mechanism. It's a 360 for all of you. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. You 

Jeff Holden: know, in the space. Yes. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. You know, I, I came from for-profit, right. And so I didn't know what I didn't know about nonprofit.

And when I 

Jeff Holden: surprise yes. 

Tara Taylor: And it was a surprise, especially through a pandemic, but. What I found, unfortunately, and not across the board, but at first was kind of a, a closed door feeling and more of a need to like maybe protect a donor base or intellectual property or something, but it didn't feel very collaborative at first.

To me, we're in the business of helping [00:30:00] people. We should be helping each other. And I think there's been a real turn post pandemic, which I'm so happy to see where organizations are recognizing like we, we can't survive without each other. I. Not only that, but we are better together. Mm-hmm. And so I love seeing the emphasis on collaboration and the, the grantors and supporters who are pouring into collaborative relationships because we are so much more powerful together.

So I'm really proud of, of the collaborations that we do on small and large scales. You know, even, even our summer camp, our summer camp for our school age kids. Is true summer camp. So they have that pool day park day, but we bring a collaborator in every week. So 9 1 6 Inc. Or Sac History Museum. Mm-hmm. So that our kids have unique experiences, but they're still only mom's only paying $99 a week for full day childcare.

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Tara Taylor: So even those collaborative relationships, you know, it's, it's one 90 minute. Visit from another nonprofit, but it [00:31:00] makes a huge difference for these kids. 

Jeff Holden: And it's exposure to the other nonprofit. Exactly. It's beneficial all the way around. 

Tara Taylor: Exactly. 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. That's wonderful. 

Tara Taylor: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: Funding. Let's talk a little bit about how the organization's funded, 'cause you have approached it a little bit differently.

Yes. And I would say today to your benefit. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. Yes. Like I said, I didn't come from nonprofit and writing the grant cycle wave was crazy to me. So, you know, it was really important that we created something sustainable. So what we've built is, is kind of the opposite of what most nonprofits, how most nonprofits function.

We are 80 20 fee for service. Meaning 80% of our income comes from the tuition for our preschool. That seems crazy because it's 35% lower cost, but that tells you how much this supply and demand issue. Mm-hmm Really affects preschool costs. 'cause it does not cost what people are paying. 

Jeff Holden: You Were just gonna answer that.

That was gonna make that statement saying means it can be done, it 

Tara Taylor: can [00:32:00] be done for less. It's been done for five years as we've been voted, voted best of Citrus Heights last four years in a row. So it's done. It's done well. It's done much less expensive. Mm-hmm. That said, that's what keeps our lights on.

Um, and then the other 20% is grants donation, sponsorships, which to me just means so much opportunity because if we have, you know, higher grants, donations and sponsorships, then we can just do more, right? Mm-hmm. It's not about sustaining, it's about improving and growing. 

Jeff Holden: And here we are eight years into your organization and you are pushing toward the million dollar mark.

Mm-hmm. Which is incredible. That's, that's a lot. It's a lot. It's a lot all the way around. How many people do you employ? 

Tara Taylor: 14. 

Jeff Holden: Okay. I think 

Tara Taylor: might be 15 now ish. Okay. 

Jeff Holden: Close. Close enough. Let's take a minute to share the vision. Mm-hmm. You mentioned started down that path, but if I had a blank check for you and I said, you know what, Tara, [00:33:00] if you give me the right answer, this is yours, what would it look like?

What would you do? If money were no object, 

Tara Taylor: when money is no object, I'm putting that out in the universe. Love it. When that happens, we will regionally have a preschool location within 10 minutes of every single mom. So that to me means I. Rancho Cordova, south Sacramento, elk Grove, just being sure to saturate the region.

Mm-hmm. Hopefully even more than those three locations, because we can correct the supply and demand issue if we create supply at our price. Mm-hmm. So that's step one. The second is to build an army of trauma-informed early childhood educators. It's a path that I'm on right now actually in collaborative relationship with Heartland Child and Family Services to build.

More educational tools for our educators to become more specialized in those ways. Mm-hmm. And then finally, it's [00:34:00] to have another, at least one more chapter of a single mom strong. So what I, what I think we've created here is, is the model of what single mom strong could be in any city. And so to duplicate that effort in another city and show that this is something that can be duplicated.

Oh, if you could 

Jeff Holden: scale it, how wonderful would that be? Right? Yes. 

Tara Taylor: And then I'll pass it off to other strong single moms in other cities. Mm-hmm. And let them, you know, make their own magic. But just to know that we can write the, the manual on how to get this done within my lifetime, that's the goal. 

Jeff Holden: That's wonderful.

Tara Taylor: Thank you. 

Jeff Holden: That's wonderful. Childcare is always going to be a need. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: Regardless of if we cured divorce. Right. Or we cured, you know, school issues, you know, whatever that is. That Yes. Greater problem that causes some of the issues that we have to deal with. Childcare is not going away 'cause parents work.

Tara Taylor: Yes. I think the pandemic. Good and bad of it. Right. But one thing it [00:35:00] did do is really explain to everyone how important childcare is. Right? Right. And while that's fresh in our memories, we need to do something. Mm-hmm. Because childcare impacts. It is the reason that that people get stuck in lower economic status.

Mm-hmm. For generations, right? 

Jeff Holden: Yeah. It sustains a cycle that we would prefer to break. 

Tara Taylor: Absolutely. Absolutely. And at the same time, it's something that's really fairly easy to solve. And so if we really look at just the. Very small changes that need to be made to truly make something universal. Yeah. 'cause I, I hear this universal pre-K and like, that's not universal.

If, if my child is in school from nine to 12, who's picking them up at noon mm-hmm. If I work right. So that's not universal. So if we just took apart the broken system and made it work for everyone, we'd all be so much better off. Mm-hmm. So childcare I'm hugely passionate about, because it wouldn't be hard to [00:36:00] fix.

Jeff Holden: Back to reality. Mm-hmm. And you're dealing with your day to day. What's the greatest need? 

Tara Taylor: The greatest need? Well, funding of course. I think that's every nonprofit's greatest need probably. Yeah. It's nothing that money won't 

Jeff Holden: fix in many cases. 

Tara Taylor: Right, right. Uh, male mentors, that is a program that is magic and it's a really low lift.

Right. There's no special skills required. It's two hours a month of volunteering and it. Dramatically changes. Just two hours a month changes. That's it Dramatically changes children's lives. It is a, a commitment, so we need positive male influence in the life of children of single moms. Mm-hmm. You're working to reverse some of the abandonment they might feel from the inconsistent presence of a male figure in their life.

And by showing up every single month, that negates some of that abandonment that these kids are feeling. Um, so it's not a hugely difficult thing to do. It's, it is a [00:37:00] commitment. Mm-hmm. It's 10 months commitment. But if I had more male mentors, just the self-esteem. Change that I see in these kids. Mm-hmm. I mean, it's hugely powerful.

Jeff Holden: And sometimes in the mentors too. 

Tara Taylor: Yes, yes. They 

Jeff Holden: learn something that they didn't expect to have learned from those children. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. You know, the mentors that we have typically were raised by a single mom or their kids have have grown in their empty nesting now, but they get just as much out of it as our kids do.

For sure. 

Jeff Holden: I'm, I'm. Visioning another like a big brothers big sisters, whereas the big brothers who might be able to support that need. Yes, yes. You know, if they've got the bigs 

Tara Taylor: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: You've got the littles. 

Tara Taylor: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I, I see a lot of potential for that program in the long term. 

Jeff Holden: Mm-hmm. 

Tara Taylor: You know, I see a lot of potential for a lot of things we do, and we're just kind of a small, scrappy team at this point, trying to make it all happen.

Yep. So in time 

Jeff Holden: you've got so much going on. 

Tara Taylor: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: What's the best way to learn more about the organization? Where should people go? 

Tara Taylor: Single [00:38:00] moms strong.org. Okay. Is our website. Lots of information there. 

Jeff Holden: And we will put that in the show notes as well, so it's an easy Yeah. Tap. 

Tara Taylor: Yeah. We also do online orientations, which is something that I love about our program.

So if you're a mom or you wanna volunteer, we just do a 15 minute conversation, walk through some slides that kind of demonstrate all the things that single mom strong is. Mm-hmm. And does. But I think it makes things make sense for people. And it's 15 minutes. 

Jeff Holden: It's only 15 minutes. 

Tara Taylor: Yeah. 

Jeff Holden: And we can get that on the website.

Yep. Find it on the, they just 

Tara Taylor: click and, and make an appointment. 

Jeff Holden: Oh, that's wonderful. 

Tara Taylor: Yes. 

Jeff Holden: It's so, that's so simple. Yes. So simple. Well, Tara, you know what a beautiful story of you turning passion into purpose, into practice. You have walked the walk. Thank you. You've been there and you've, you are now doing something that's not only making a difference, but it's fulfilling what you want to do and touching so many different lives, lives of children and [00:39:00] single moms that are so important.

And the astounding number that we've got, thinking it's a quarter percent of the population of, of, of parenting out there. Yeah. Is, is a great need. So in, in so many ways, thank you to your and your team of 14, 15, growing whatever it may be, growing and, and we're doing this as a series for May for Mother's Day.

So happy Mother's Day to you as well. 

Tara Taylor: Thank you very much. Thank you. And thanks again for doing this. It's, especially from smaller nonprofits to get the word out is so important. So I really appreciate you. 

Jeff Holden: Happy to do so.

Thank you for listening to the Nonprofit Podcast Network. I hope you enjoyed the episode. If what you heard moved you, please reach out to that organization and do what you can to help. If you like and appreciate what we're doing to support local nonprofits, please give us a positive review. Subscribe and share.[00:40:00] 

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