Each Educare center is a private-public collaboration that brings together a philanthropic leader or leaders to spearhead the capital campaign, a programmatic provider of Head Start and Early Head Start services to implement the core components of the Educare model, and a public school or district to provide land and other supports. Together, these partners share in Educare’s governance.

The Ounce of Prevention Fund, along with the Irving Harris Foundation, opened the first Educare School in Chicago in 2000. In 2003, the Buffett Early Childhood Fund and the Omaha Public Schools opened the second Educare School on Omaha’s north side. Soon after, the Buffett Early Childhood Fund and Ounce of Prevention Fund joined forces to support other local public-private partnerships in communities across the country to establish Educare Schools.