- Reaching families as early as possible during the prenatal period
- Developing stable and supportive relationships between children, families and staff
- Promoting social, emotional, language and early literacy development
- Maintaining high requirements for staff education levels and implementing reflective supervision and practice
- Providing immediate and ongoing child outcome assessment data, enabling staff to offer individualized instruction and continuously strive for program improvement
Educare builds on families’ strengths and employs a child-centered and family-focused approach, working under the premise that children can best be supported in the context of the entire family. Families are involved in program planning, decision-making and the development of classroom curricula. Family support staff have masters and bachelors degrees and small caseloads to provide more individualized care. What’s more, the services involve a team of staff who provide early childhood care and education, health, nutritional, social and other services.
Educare staff members are highly trained and educated. A team of teachers who have all completed coursework in early childhood education and development – a lead teacher with a bachelor’s degree, an assistant teacher with an associate’s degree and a teacher’s aide with at least a high school diploma – staffs each classroom. Master Teachers with advanced degrees in early childhood and infancy provide on-site supervision, mentoring, and training to the teaching teams. Each Master Teacher works with four classrooms.
Low teacher- to-child ratios are maintained to ensure quality individualized care and attention. There are three teachers for every eight children in the infant and toddler classrooms and three teachers for every seventeen children in the preschool classrooms.
The way Educare provides services to low-income children is unique. Unlike most early childhood programs, Educare practices ‘continuity of care’ to minimize transitions. Children remain with the same peer group and caregivers for several years and experience only one transition – at age three, from the infant and toddler classrooms to the preschool classrooms. The consistency in caregivers and small size of peer groups help children develop the secure relationships necessary for healthy social emotional and cognitive development.
Educare staff members are highly trained and educated. A team of teachers who have all completed coursework in early childhood education and development – a lead teacher with a bachelor’s degree, an assistant teacher with an associate’s degree and a teacher’s aide with at least a high school diploma – staffs each classroom. Master Teachers with advanced degrees in early childhood and infancy provide on-site supervision, mentoring, and training to the teaching teams. Each Master Teacher works with four classrooms.
Low teacher- to-child ratios are maintained to ensure quality individualized care and attention. There are three teachers for every eight children in the infant and toddler classrooms and three teachers for every seventeen children in the preschool classrooms.
The way Educare provides services to low-income children is unique. Unlike most early childhood programs, Educare practices ‘continuity of care’ to minimize transitions. Children remain with the same peer group and caregivers for several years and experience only one transition – at age three, from the infant and toddler classrooms to the preschool classrooms. The consistency in caregivers and small size of peer groups help children develop the secure relationships necessary for healthy social emotional and cognitive development.
