Collaborators Committed to Children’s Success

Educare schools are built on collaborations formed among philanthropists, school officials, and Head Start or Early Head Start providers. Collaborators work together with an Educare school site to narrow the achievement gap for underprivileged children in their own communities.

• Collaborator Commitment – To secure the financing, program expertise, and public support essential to maintain Educare’s high quality standards.
• Educare School Site Commitment – To serve as a high performing model of the value and vital need for early childhood education.

Leveraging Existing Funding

As one of its important purposes, the Educare Learning Network draws attention to how multiple, existing funding streams can be leveraged more effectively to support Educare’s comprehensive program. For example, innovative public-private collaborations throughout the Educare Learning Network braid together the following funding sources:

• State and local education funding
• Federal Head Start and Early Head Start funds
• Child care reimbursements
• Parent co-payments
• Financial and in-kind support from individual donors, foundations, and corporations

Educare Arizona Collaborators

The Educare Arizona board collaborates with the local health care community, higher education, and a wide array of social service providers to ensure that Educare Arizona offers a truly comprehensive center of excellence.

We deeply appreciate the following Educare Arizona stakeholders and visionary leaders who work together to ensure a healthy society rooted in healthy development for all our children: Balsz Elementary School District, Buffett Early Childhood Fund, Ibis Foundation of Arizona, Southwest Human Development, the Steve Nash Foundation, the Whiteman Foundation, and other local and national foundations.

Balsz Elementary School District‘s mission is “to provide a culture of high expectations and continuous learning.” Balsz is committed to providing an environment where students reach their fullest academic potential through a balanced, academic core curriculum with choices that include vocal, instrumental and visual arts, athletics, and technology instruction. The district consists of four elementary schools and one junior high school in east Phoenix.

The Buffett Early Childhood Fund, established in 2005, is committed to establishing a more level playing field for all children as they enter kindergarten — a goal that should be a given in any society that values equal opportunity. The Buffett Early Childhood Fund invests in young children and their families living in Omaha, the state of Nebraska, and across America. By investing in practice, policy, and knowledge, the Fund seeks to redefine “education” in America so that it encompasses the first five years of a child’s life.

The Ibis Foundation of Arizona is a private family foundation established in December 2006 with the vision that each individual’s quality of life is connected to the overall well-being of the community. We pursue this vision through grantmaking in research and in programs related to health and education. We believe that access to health services and education are basic rights and should not be determined by a person’s socioeconomic status.

Southwest Human Development has been reaching out to children and families in Arizona with comprehensive and innovative early childhood services for more than 35 years. From small beginnings—a staff of six serving 175 children and families—Southwest Human Development has grown into the state’s largest early childhood provider with a staff of 900 serving nearly 135,000 children and families each year. Southwest Human Development’s services focus on the following areas: child development; mental health; disabilities services; Head Start and Early Head Start; child welfare and family support; and professional development and training for professionals.

The Steve Nash Foundation reflects Steve’s genuine compassion for children and recognizes the importance of their health in the promise of our communities. Formed in 2001 and given U.S. charitable status in 2004, the Steve Nash Foundation is a private foundation dedicated to assisting underserved children in their health, personal development, education, and enjoyment of life. The Foundation aims to grow health in kids in Arizona, British Columbia, and Paraguay by funding projects that provide direct services to children affected by poverty, illness, abuse, or neglect, and create opportunity for education, health, and empowerment.

The Whiteman Foundation‘s mission is to promote the health, education and welfare of children with a special emphasis on the first five years. The Whiteman Foundation’s main funding source is Empire Southwest, which commits one percent of its pretax profits to the Foundation. From the 1970s to the 1990s, the Foundation invested primarily in the arts and higher education. At the turn of the century, however, the Foundation’s emphasis shifted from arts and higher education to creating awareness of the issues surrounding early childhood development and contributing to child welfare.

Educare Arizona would like to thank the following major donors for their support!