Start Early
On October 3, 2025, Start Early celebrated the 25th anniversary of Educare Chicago.
A quarter of a century ago, Educare Chicago pioneered the promise to transform the lives of families and young children in our most under-served communities through comprehensive, quality early learning and care. What began as a bold vision to serve families furthest from opportunity, has grown into a national movement, with 25 Educare schools – soon to be 27 – serving thousands of children and families each year.
The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation’s film Tomorrow’s Hope focuses on the history, legacy and success of Educare Chicago by reuniting three present-day high school seniors who were part of Educare preschool’s first-ever class. Learn more about the award-winning documentary here.
mission
Start Early advances quality early learning for families with children, before birth through their earliest years, to help close the opportunity gap.
what we do
Our comprehensive approach to early learning and care applies our deep expertise in program, policy and research so that children, families and educators can thrive.
From our roots directly serving families and children on Chicago’s South Side and in rural Illinois, we have expanded to impact programs and policies nationwide.
it matters
Early learning matters. A child’s brain develops faster from birth to age 5 than at any other time of life. And the opportunity gap is measurable as early as 9 months of age.
On average, children from under-resourced communities enter kindergarten 18 months behind their more advantaged peers; and no school system can remediate this gap on a large scale.
get involved
Decades of research have proven that quality early learning and care programs are a smart investment. Economist James Heckman has demonstrated that early interventions can break the cycle of poverty for multiple generations. Parents do better. Children do better. And when those children become adults, their children also do better.
Equality starts at birth, and the impact lasts a lifetime. Help us change the course for our youngest learners.
