Our History
Our Origins
In 2000, Start Early (formerly known at the Ounce of Prevention Fund) and the Irving Harris Foundation developed the first Educare school in Chicago to serve the children and families rebuilding their community after the demolition of the Robert Taylor Homes, one of the largest public housing developments in the country at the time.
Three years later, Start Early joined forces with the Buffett Early Childhood Fund to expand Educare to more communities and help narrow the opportunity gap for children across the country, creating a nationwide network of early childhood champions.
Today, the Educare Network is supported by Start Early’s infrastructure via the national office, which helps guide strategy, amplifies innovation, shares best practices and advances policy to expand access to quality early education for children, families and communities nationwide.
Our Timeline
2000-2005
- 2000: Start Early (formerly known as the Ounce) and the Irving Harris Foundation partner to open Educare Chicago, the first Educare school.
- 2001: The Educare icon is created.
- 2003: Educare Omaha at Kellom opens. Start Early and the Buffett Early Childhood Fund partner to form the Educare Learning Network.
- 2005: Educare Milwaukee opens.
2006-2010
- 2006: Educare Tulsa at Kendall-Whittier opens.
- 2007: Educare Denver (the first Educare located in a state capital) and Educare Miami-Dade open.
- 2008: Five schools show promising results in their first year of data.
- 2009: Second year of Educare data from six schools confirms dramatic first-year findings. Educare Oklahoma City and Educare Omaha at Indian Hill open, making Oklahoma the first state and Omaha the first city with more than one Educare school.
- 2010: Educare Atlanta, Educare Central Maine (the first Educare in a rural community), Educare Kansas City, Educare Seattle and Educare Tulsa at Hawthorne open.
2011-2015
- 2011: Educare Arizona opens.
- 2012: Educare Tulsa at MacArthur, Educare Washington, D.C. and Educare West DuPage (the first Educare in a suburban community) open.
- 2013: Educare Lincoln and Educare New Orleans open.
- 2014: Educare Winnebago (the first Educare in a tribal community) opens.
- 2015: Educare California at Silicon Valley opens.
2016-2020
- 2017: Educare Flint opens.
- 2018: Educare Los Angeles at Long Beach opens.
- 2020: Educare Springfield and Educare Tulsa at Celia Clinton open.
2021-Present
- 2021: The Educare Network launches its first-ever public policy agenda, The Educare Five.
- 2023: The Educare Network launches its new Research Agenda on Advancing Racial Equity.
