Facility
The Educare Early Learning Center is operated by Puget Sound Educational Service District and is a central part of the King County Housing Authority's Greenbridge community, a 96-acre redevelopment of its Park Lake Homes public housing.
The 44,000 square foot building is LEED Certified and includes:
Common spaces create the capacity to foster local and region-wide professional development for early learning and family support providers and outreach services to families in White Center.
The Center directly serves 134 children in full-day, full-year programs that encompass high quality child development, health, and family support.
The programs incorporate Head Start and Early Head Start, and are available from 7 AM to 6 PM. Infants and toddlers are served for the first time.
All 3,000 children in White Center can benefit in some way from the WCELI and Educare activities offered at the center. WCELI is providing informal parent education and support sessions available to the entire community. The Educare Professional Development Center works closely with Child Care Resources to provide training and quality enhancement opportunities for parents, child care providers and informal care givers.
In a broader sense, the over 300,000 young children receiving out of home care in the state of Washington benefit from the Educare Early Learning Center as a model demonstration site displaying best practice and development of new strategies for early learning.
Operational Funding
Ongoing operational support comes from Puget Sound ESD Head Start and Early Head Start programs, the state Working Connections Child Care subsidy program, and Thrive by Five Washington, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and parent co-pays.
The Educare Early Learning Center was built through a strong public-private partnership. The Puget Sound Educational Service District received capital funds from federal and state governments, private foundations and individual donors. Washington state contributed $3.4 million in public funding. At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Head Start contributed $1 million, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development provided $950,000 for the Educare Center. The Educare Early Learning Center also accessed $4.9 million in New Market Tax Credits funding provided through the King County Housing Authority. Private foundations contributed more than $9 million to the Educare capital campaign.
Foundations
Government Partners
Location
The Educare Early Learning Center is located at 625 SW 100th St. Seattle, WA 98146. Click here for a map and driving directions.
Click here to learn more about the Educare model.
Click here to learn more about the White Center Early Learning Initiative.
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