Mission & Values
Every child and family deserves the same opportunities to succeed.
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Mission & Vision
Our mission is to help young children in lower-income families grow up and achieve economic success.
Our vision for the future is that children grow up and achieve economic success so that their children are not born into poverty.
Our method is to combine high-quality child care and early childhood education with innovative family services and resources.
Our two-generation approach aims not only to prepare young children for future success in school but also to help their parents succeed through programs designed to increase parenting skills, employability, and earning potential.
Our Core Values
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Accountablity
Acting with CAP Tulsa’s mission in mind and holding ourselves accountable for intended results
- Manage all resources entrusted to us with good stewardship.
- Use our time wisely and in support of CAP Tulsa’s mission.
- Follow through: do what we say we will do.
- Take full responsibility for our decisions and actions.
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Data-Driven Decision-Making
Using data to make thoughtful and well-informed decisions
- Set goals that are realistic and ambitious.
- Rely on internal and external data for validation and opportunities for improvement.
- Measure the success of our work thoughtfully and use as an input for decision-making.
- Communicate how data supports a decision.
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Cultivating an inclusive and respectful environment for our children, families, and employees
- Ensure every child, family and employee has an equal opportunity for success.
- Recognize and celebrate the diversity of thought, background and culture that makes us stronger.
- Promote zero tolerance for inappropriate and disrespectful behavior.
- Ensure that our business policies and practices reflect and advance our inclusive culture.
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Empowerment
Exercising the freedom and obligation to challenge each other respectfully
- Encourage and welcome the open expression of ideas and opinions.
- Speak the truth as we see it in an appropriate and helpful manner.
- Acknowledge the opinions of others without becoming defensive.
- Bring disagreements into the open and use them productively to enhance the quality of decisions.
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Excellence
Achieving the highest measure of quality in all that we do
- Demonstrate a commitment to excellence in carrying out our organizational mission.
- Provide high-quality service consistently to co-workers and clients.
- Set the bar high and embrace continuous improvement to achieve high-quality results.
- Understand the critical link between personal performance and organizational excellence.
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Growth
Helping all people reach their full potential
- Provide equitable opportunities for children, families and employees to grow and develop.
- Take advantage of developmental and growth opportunities, and encourage others to do so.
- Commit to long-term development, not just short-term results.
- Balance professional growth with agency needs.
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Honesty, Integrity and Transparency
Doing what’s right and above board
- Share information to the broadest possible extent while respecting boundaries and confidentiality.
- Be open with others and do not act from hidden agendas.
- Act in a consistent manner: “walk the talk.”
- Admit mistakes and be receptive to corrective feedback.
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Innovation
Pursuing continuous improvement and encouraging experimentation to achieve desired outcomes
- Identify gaps in what we do and advance new ideas and alternatives.
- Question the status quo: ask “why?” and “why not?” and “what if?”
- Embrace the unknown: be open to new information, consider wild notions, defer judgment.
- Be willing to experiment and learn from successes and failures.
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Positive Intent
Assuming the best and giving others the benefit of the doubt
- Act from the belief that we all want to make things better, and that we care enough to do the right thing.
- Deal directly and respectfully with others.
- Clarify intent for best results.
- Don’t take things personally; assume that the actions of others come from a mission-driven and solution-oriented approach.
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Respect
Treating all people with dignity and respect
- Act in accordance with the Platinum Rule: treat others as they would wish to be treated.
- Speak with integrity and treat people equitably.
- Ensure that decisions are fair and objective, not personal or biased.
- Recognize the value and contributions of others.
Our Commitment to a Strong Organizational Culture
CAP Tulsa is committed to creating a welcoming environment for our employees, clients, and partners, cultivating an atmosphere that encourages multiple perspectives and embraces the full spectrum of humanity. We value the intrinsic worth of every human being and believe we are stronger together, enriched by all the differences that make us unique individuals. At CAP Tulsa, we draw strength from that variety and foster a welcoming environment in which everyone contributes, and everyone belongs.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We acknowledge that CAP Tulsa’s headquarters and schools sit on the original homelands of many indigenous tribes, including the Wichita, Apache, Quapaw, Caddo, Osage, Arapaho, Comanche, Kiowa, Ute, Tawakoni (enrolled as Wichita), Waco, and Kiona, among others, and within the tribal boundaries of the forcibly relocated Muscogee and Cherokee nations. Today, 39 tribal nations dwell in the state of Oklahoma as a result of settler and colonial policies that were designed to assimilate Native people. We honor the original caretakers who have been living and working on this land for time immemorial while also recognizing the ongoing contributions to our work through Native employees and the impact they have on the lives of the children and families we serve. We celebrate the boundless potential of Native children and the impact they will have on future generations as we strive together to help all families succeed.