Educare is a new way of doing business when it comes to preparing very young children from low-income families for success in school and life. The old way – in which government funding operates in isolated silos; in which discarded buildings are deemed ‘good enough’ for poor children; and in which yesterday’s programming is somehow expected to alter the lives of tomorrow’s generation – is no longer viable.
Educare is a national network of highest quality early childhood centers that combine the best of Head Start, child care, preschool and family supports to help low-income children ages birth to five grow up eager to learn and ready for school.
Educare aims to take the nation’s best early childhood research from the lab to the classroom through the development of a network of excellence. More than just physical spaces where children receive exceptional early education and care, the centers are also catalysts for change that spark local and national discussions about investing in young children and improving public policy.
Background
The first Educare Center opened as a partnership between the Ounce of Prevention Fund and the Buffett Early Childhood Fund in 2000. In 2004, the two organizations teamed up to create the Bounce Learning Network. The Network partners with stakeholders to bring Educare to their communities and give low-income children every opportunity for lifelong achievement. The Bounce Network as a whole and each individual Educare Center within it supports children, their families and the high-risk communities in which they live.
Each Educare Center in the network is designed and built around a research-based program model that meets and stimulates childrens’ developmental needs. The centers reflect the core philosophies of the program, putting children first and providing a space for the community to come together.
At its core, each Educare partnership consists of an “anchor” philanthropist(s), a Head Start/Early Head Start provider, and a school district. In some cases, the local or state government, university or community college, and health care community are also part of the partnership. Anchor funders for Educare Centers in other communities include the Buffetts in Omaha, businessman and philanthropist George Kaiser in Tulsa, the United Way of Miami-Dade, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Buffett Early Childhood Fund, the Irving Harris Foundation, the George Kaiser Family Foundation, the Gates Foundation and the W.K.Kellogg Foundation have created an Educare replication pool to allow for the network’s steady growth.
Educare is:
a Partnership between the private and public sectors to create a high-quality, birth-to-five program that achieves higher levels of quality.
a Place that nurtures early learning, is a beacon of hope for the community, and sends a firm message that we must invest in early childhood -- because children are born learning.
a Program to prepare young, low-income children for school by implementing the approaches and practices that science tells us are necessary to help young children grow up safe, healthy, and eager to learn.
a Platform for Change with each Educare school serving as a “showroom for quality” and a catalyst to drive broader policy and systems change in a state and nationally.
Six Educare schools – in Chicago, Omaha, Milwaukee, Tulsa, Denver, and Miami – – are serving young children and their families. Four Educare schools are under construction – in Oklahoma City and Seattle, as well as second Educare schools in Omaha and Tulsa. At least four more Educare schools – in West DuPage, Yakima, Maine, and Arizona – are under development.
The Ounce of Prevention Fund developed the first Educare school in 2000 to promote the school readiness and later success of impoverished young children in Chicago. The Buffett Early Childhood Fund built the second Educare school in Omaha, then partnered with the Ounce to create the nationwide Bounce Learning Network of Educare Centers.
To find out how we rigorously evaluate Educare schools in the Bounce Learning Network to assess the quality of classroom environments, staff practices, and children's progress, click here.
What is Educare?