White Center Early Learning Initiative - Educare Evaluation

2011

In partnership with Thrive by Five and the Puget Sound Educational School District (PSESD), CIMHD was selected to evaluate the Educare program located within the White Center Early Learning Initiative. Educare is a model of center-based early childhood care and education developed by the Ounce of Prevention Fund and implemented in high poverty neighborhoods across the country. Key features of Educare include a public-private funding partnership, a place specifically designed for early care and education, and a program to serve children from birth to five. The program seeks to promote and sustain best practices in early childhood education to benefit children and families living in poverty. Program characteristics include the use of research-based strategies, reflective supervision and practice, intensive staff development, and small class sizes with high staff/child ratios. In addition, Educare programming aims to increase children's school readiness skills by emphasizing social-emotional development, language and literacy skills, and family involvement.CIMHD provides evaluation and technical support to PSESD in regard to implementing Educare in a racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse, low-income population in the White Center area. As local evaluation partner, CIMHD has joined a consortium of seven sites across the country implementing the Educare model, all under the leadership of a national evaluator at the Frank Porter Graham Center at the University of North Carolina.

Performing Research or Evaluation

Education & Early Intervention

Family Members/Caregivers, Legislators/Policy Makers, General Public

None

Single-County

N/A