Background

 
​Educare West DuPage is an Illinois not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation organized to increase access to quality, comprehensive child care and early learning experiences for children from birth through the age of five years and their families and increase school readiness in children from low income backgrounds. 

Educare West DuPage was organized in 2008. During the first few years, it focused on acquiring a site (including entitlements) and raising the necessary capital to construct an early childhood facility that will expand access to early childhood care and education in West Chicago, Illinois. 

Educare West DuPage has also engaged in numerous public awareness building activities (creating web site, holding awareness building events such as the “Investing Strategically in Young Children” breakfast, and newsletters) and provided professional development opportunities to early childhood educators conference sponsorship, Dual Language Learning series.

Educare West DuPage began directly serving children and families in temporary locations in September 2011. Educare's facility was completed in June 2012 and Educare began serving children and families at this location in early July 2012.

Our Facility 


​The facility is LEED certified (the mark of a “green building”) and includes:
  • Six classrooms for preschool age children
  • Six classrooms for infants and toddlers
  • A multi-purpose room where children can run and play when the weather prevents going outside
  • A training center for early childhood professionals from throughout the western suburbs to develop their skills in educating very young children
  • A library and resource center for children, parents and professionals
  • Playgrounds designed specifically for infants, toddlers and preschoolers
  • Offices, meeting rooms and a commercial kitchen
  • Community meeting space

Thanks to our Initial Partners

​​
​Gustafson Family Foundation is the lead philanthropist for Educare West DuPage, and is committed to long-term support and joint governance of the organization. Led by president Al Gustafson with a vision to strengthen early education for at-risk children in the western Chicago suburbs, the Foundation has committed $2 million dollars of capital funding in addition to pledging significant annual funds for ongoing operating expenses. foundationcenter.org/grantmaker/gustafson
​
Pritzker Children's Initiative seeks to enhance the early learning capabilities of infants and toddlers, with a special focus on at-risk children.  Inspired by the early childhood development work of the late philanthropist Irving Harris and motivated by the belief that all children are born with great potential, The Children's Initiative supports policies, programs, research, and advocacy to allow at-risk children to achieve better economic, educational, and social outcomes. http://jb-pritzker.com/civic-involvement

Positive Parenting DuPage was a multifaceted, county-wide collaboration comprised of over 100 organizations that worked with families during the first five years of a child's life. Positive Parenting ensured that the lessons learned at Educare West DuPage are shared with school districts and early learning providers throughout the region. 

Buffett Early Childhood Fund established in 2005, the Buffett Early Childhood Fund 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.  http://www.buffettearlychildhoodfund.org

McCormick Foundation The Robert R. McCormick Foundation is committed to fostering communities of educated, informed and engaged citizens. The Foundation was established as a charitable trust in 1955, upon the death of Colonel Robert R. McCormick, the longtime editor and publisher of the Chicago Tribune. http://www.mccormicktribune.org

National Investors The Buffett Early Childhood Fund and the Ounce of Prevention Fund have led the growth of the Educare movement by bringing together both private and public partners in communities across the country. A few anchor founders in Educare schools nationally include the following: 

Irving Harris Foundation – Chicago, IL
Buffett Early Childhood Fund – Omaha, NE
George Kaiser Family Foundation – Tulsa, OK
Inasmuch Foundation – Oklahoma City, OK
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – Seattle, WA
Clayton Family Foundation – Denver, CO
WK Kellogg Foundation – Washington, DC
​​