Second Educare Breaks Ground
On May 15, Tulsa broke ground on its second Educare center. Slated to open in 2009, this state-of-the-art facility will be located near Hawthorne Elementary school in District One and will serve more than 160 children in need.
Educare is a premier childhood development and education program with the mission of breaking the cycle of poverty in local communities by providing care tokids from low-income families. The program also services children with special needs and learners of English as a foreign language.
Focusing on infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, Educare addresses the years of life most crucial to emotional well-being, the formation of curiosity, the ability to learn, and future success in school. Following the level of quality set by the nationally respected Ounce of Prevention Fund, Educare requires all of its teachers to hold a Master’s or Bachelor’s degree in Education. It also provides parental support as early as the prenatal stage.
The city’s first Educare Center opened in 2006 next to the Kendall Whittier Elementary school. It currently benefits 200 kids – and that means 200 families – from the community.
Once Educare II opens, Oklahoma will be the only state to have three such centers, and Tulsa will be one of only two cities in the U.S. to have two – reinforcing our city’s strong educational and family friendly focus.
The center, which will include an onsite health clinic, is sponsored by George Kaiser Family Foundation and Tulsa Community Foundation. Operational costs will come from public programs, such as child-care subsidies from the OK Department of Human Services. Educare centers also partner with federal programs such as Early Head Start.
For more information:
For enrollment information, contact the Head Start enrollment and registration office at Family & Children's Services, (918) 585-3227.
Educare I
(918) 779-6233
2511 E 5th Pl.
Tulsa, OK, 74104
Website
Family & Children’s Services
(918) 585-3227
Website
Community Action Project of Tulsa County
(918) 382-3200 or
Website