Oklahoma City Educare

Oklahoma City Educare serves 212 at-risk children, ages birth to five years old, with year-round early childhood education programs. Educare Centers, throughout the nation, help young children grow up safe, healthy and eager to learn, providing the highest quality outcome-based learning environments for families and their children who are at-risk for school failure.

Oklahoma City Educare was created through a partnership among Inasmuch Foundation, Sunbeam Family Services (Managing Partner of OKC Educare), Community Action Agency of Oklahoma and Canadian Counties, Oklahoma City Public Schools and the United Way of Central Oklahoma. Through this partnership, and generous contributions from the community, construction began for the site of Oklahoma City’s first Educare.

Research shows that children in low income homes start school behind their more affluent peers. Unfortunately, when a child starts behind, they often stay behind. Educare prepares at-risk children, ages birth to five, to be successful in school and into their adult lives.

Oklahoma City Educare is committed to providing the most comprehensive mental health services to infants, young children and families. Components of Oklahoma City Educare’s mental health services include traditional Play Therapy; Diagnostic Nursery (a thorough assessment conducted in partnership with the Oklahoma University Health Science Center); Parent-Child Interactive Therapy (PCIT); Infant Massage; Parent Education and Support; and extensive training and education for staff, teachers, interns from local universities, and community members. This comprehensive mental health model serves as best practice and is cutting edge in the growing national focus on the critical importance of brain development, the impact of trauma and the significance of nurturing, consistent, stable relationships related to healthy social emotional development in infants and young children. This mental health component is something unique to Oklahoma City Educare.

Oklahoma City Educare follows the Educare model and strives to provide three adults in each of the sixteen classrooms. Small class sizes and high staff to child ratios are maintained in order to provide high quality, individualized care to the children. In addition, every attempt is made to include at least one bilingual teacher in every classroom, in order to better meet the communication needs of Spanish-speaking children and their families.

Oklahoma City Educare was recognized as an Oklahoma A+ School, which makes Oklahoma City Educare the only A+ School serving children from birth to age three. Oklahoma A+ Schools® adhere to a set of commitments that include daily arts instruction, experiential learning and enriched assessment, nurturing creativity in every learner.

For more information about Oklahoma City Educare, or to find out how to enroll, please call 405.605.8232 or visit www.okceducare.org.