University of Illinois´ TRECC hosts Educare of West DuPage
by Gail Tate
The Technology Research, Education, and Commercialization Center (TRECC) hosted the Educare of West DuPage project team meeting held 28 -29 February 2008. The project team consists of a committed group of professionals who have come together to build an early childhood center that will focus on providing and promoting the highest quality early learning environment for families and children from birth to five who are at risk for school failure. This early childhood center, Educare of West DuPage, presents an opportunity to address "a critical gap between what we know and what we do" in early childhood to prepare disadvantaged children to succeed in school. Educare of West DuPage will be located in West Chicago, a suburban community thirty miles west of Chicago, Illinois.
Educare is a state-of-the-art early childhood center that provides full-day, year-round care and education for at-risk children from birth through age five. Educare´s comprehensive approach to supporting children´s development and meeting families´ needs is supported by 30 years of research in developmental psychology and neuroscience. Currently, there are five similar Educare Centers nationally, with an additional seven under construction or in planning. These centers form the Bounce Learning Network, an innovative learning community that ensures the centers remain state-of-the art through on-going technical assistance and training from leading scholars in the field. A national evaluation of the model is also underway.
Educare is dedicated to helping families raise strong and healthy children. We believe that the best way to do this is to form partnerships with families and children. These partnerships are based on mutual trust, understanding, respect and common goals.
Educare serves as a platform for a new kind of community-wide partnership dedicated to bringing quality services to children at highest risk of school failure. Educare of West DuPage is unique and compelling for three reasons: partnership, program and place.
The Educare partnership will blend private dollars with multiple sources of public funding to create a high-quality, sustainable early education program.
The Educare program will provide the positive early experiences, language and literacy skills and social-emotional foundation that young children need to be eager to learn and ready to succeed when they enter school.
Educare of West DuPage will be a place that serves as a beacon of hope for families and society at-large. Educare centers are designed especially for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and their families, and they send a strong message that young children are valued by the community.
This project has brought together an impressive network of community stakeholders, visionary leaders with a long history of collaborating to support healthy development for all children. The group currently working to bring the Educare model to life in West Chicago includes: Gustafson Family Foundation, Lifelink Head Start and Early Head Start, the Ounce of Prevention Fund, Positive Parenting DuPage, and West Chicago School District 33.
To learn more about Educare of West DuPage and your potential involvement, contact:
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Al Gustafson, President
Gustafson Family Foundation
algustafson@sbcglobal.net
(630) 305-9197
Kim Perez, VP, Child & Family Services
Lifelink Corporation
kim.perez@lifelink.org
(630) 521-8064
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Ed Leman, Superintendent
West Chicago Elementary School Dist. 33
lemane@wegoed33.k12.il.us
(630) 293-6000 x 204
Jeanna Capito, Executive Director
Positive Parenting DuPage jcapito@positiveparentingdupage.org
(630) 857-6033
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