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Balsz District Partners with Educare
What is Educare?
Too often, low income children and other children at risk of school failure are not exposed to the kind of high quality programs that we know make the greatest difference. Educare works to reduce this equity gap by providing highly effective early education and family support for the children who need it most. Educare is a national network of the highest quality early childhood centers that braids public and private funds to help all children ages birth to five grow up eager to learn and ready for school.
More than just physical spaces where children receive exceptional early education and care, the eleven centers across the country are also catalysts for change that spark local and national discussions about the importance of investing in young children and improving public policy. The Educare network is supported by the Warren Buffett family, George Kaiser, Bill and Melinda Gates and the Irving Harris and W.K. Kellogg Foundations.
Each Educare Center in the network is designed and built around a research-based program model that meets and stimulates children's developmental needs. The centers reflect the core philosophies of the program, putting children first and providing a space for the community to come together.
What is Educare Arizona?
Educare Arizona is led by a growing team of stakeholders and visionary leaders including the Whiteman Foundation, Ibis Foundation, Steve Nash Foundation, Buffett Early Childhood Fund, Balsz School District and Southwest Human Development.Educare Arizona is located on land donated by the Balsz School District -- a high-need, underserved area of Phoenix -- on the grounds of Brunson-Lee Elementary School south of McDowell and 48th Street. Educare Arizona serves up to 191 low-income children ages birth to five and their families each year. There is an on-site integrative health center to address the physical, dental and social-emotional health needs of Educare families and eventually families throughout the Balsz School District, and provides a hands-on pediatric experience for students in the health care field.
The building is LEEDs certified and thoughtfully designed to support the programming that occurs inside as well as communicate the lessons learned statewide. The facility sends a message to families, policy
makers, business leaders and others that children in poverty have value and that creating effective programming and resources for them is a worthy investment.
Educare Arizona is a place to take legislators, business leaders, philanthropists and other policymakers to see for themselves what high quality education and care can do for low income children and families. It serves as a community of learning, where future teachers and health care providers learn from the very best and where current practitioners can continue to develop their professional skills.
Ultimately, Educare Arizona's goal is to produce a dramatically new standard of effectiveness for children living in and near poverty which delivers long-term gains. The research proves such gains are possible.
For more information, visit www.educarearizona.org