Our Center

Our innovative early learning center—part of a national network of 25 Educare Schools—includes 12 high quality, full day, year-round early learning classrooms, as well as support services and community resources through our family resource center and satellite children’s museum and public library.

As one of the nation’s most effective early childhood schools, we make sure financially disadvantaged young children have the best chance for success in life. Our approach extends beyond the classroom to help children, families and communities thrive. Learn more about our model, our space, our programs and services, and how to enroll.

Our Model

The Educare model is based on research from early childhood development, education, social work and other allied fields. Data utilization, embedded professional development, high quality teaching practices and intensive family engagement are the core features of the Educare model.

Our core features work together in a comprehensive and intentional strategy to build a foundation for high quality early childhood programs that help children from birth to age five grow up safe, healthy and eager to learn. Several years of evaluation demonstrate that when children leave Educare for elementary school, the majority are academically, socially and emotionally prepared for kindergarten.

We connect with community-based programs that help children and families access additional resources, including health and safety net services. Educare prepares children for success in school and life, and helps parents develop the skills they need to be a champion for their child’s education and prosperity.

Our Programs and Services

Educare California at Silicon Valley is a welcoming, safe space for families, as well as a learning laboratory for high quality early learning for at-risk children and for teacher training.

The 28,000 square foot facility is located in San Jose’s Franklin-McKinley School District. Our free services are offered in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese to the Santee neighborhood and greater Bay Area community, including:

High quality early learning classrooms: 12 high quality, full day, year-round early learning classrooms provide nurturing developmental environments for 168 students children ages 0-5
A family resource center where parents and caregivers can access free parenting classes, health classes, connections to free health and development screenings and care, supportive services, and more! (See below for more details)
A satellite interactive children’s museum in the atrium hallway where parents/caregivers and child can experience fun, interactive learning (thanks to a partnership with the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose)
A satellite public library where parents/caregivers and children can build early literacy skills by checking out books and attending story time (thanks to a partnership with the San Jose Public Library)
Multiple indoor and outdoor learning and play spaces, including a playground in the front and a garden and enhanced outdoor space in the back, to meet the developmental needs of children

High Quality Early Learning Classrooms

Educare's curriculum is based on more than 40 years of research into early childhood education. Teachers and staff regularly review and evaluate their success to inform future decision-making that will help children learn and grow. Our classroom model is successful and effective because of our:

Highly qualified staff and small class sizes — each child gets highly individualized attention from well trained and experienced staff. Each classroom contains a lead teacher with a bachelor's degree, a teacher's assistant, and a teaching assistant. We maintain small class sizes (8-10 for infants and toddlers and 20 for preschoolers).

Intentional instruction — our full-day, year-round learning focuses on helping children to develop the cognitive and social-emotional skills they need to be successful. Instruction topics include language, numeracy, art, problem solving, and social-emotional skills such as cooperation and confidence. We believe children learn best through play, and we introduce a variety of learning modalities and experiences that help them explore and understand the world around them while sparking a lifelong curiosity for learning.

Family & caregiver involvement — family & caregivers are children's first and primary teachers, so family & caregiver engagement is both expected and strongly supported, with a family engagement specialist holding a bachelor's degree for each neighborhood of classrooms.

Workshops

Families are critical partners in everything we do at Educare. We believe that parents are children’s first and most important teachers, and empowering positive parenting and parent engagement in children’s lives – both in the classroom and at home – helps children to develop the critical skills for school and lifelong success.

We offer a range of positive parenting classes, health classes, and evidence-based trainings and workshops that empower parents and caregivers to support their child’s healthy holistic development and to advocate for them at school.