Early Childhood
Education
Funding Area
Investing in our youngest learners yields outsized returns in educational achievement and economic mobility.
Schreiber Philanthropy believes deeply in the critical role of early childhood education in healthy brain development. Our work aims to improve and expand access to high-quality, affordable care and education for children aged 0 – 5, while also investing in innovative workforce pathways to build and support the labor force to sustain it.
Our Strategy
Schreiber Philanthropy centers its early childhood strategy around three key priorities.
Our work is focused within the Chicagoland region, and will evolve based on the dynamic nature of the world we live in. With that in mind, we are committed to learning alongside our partners and being nimble in our strategy to achieve these goals.
Early Childhood Priorities
Catalyze investment in full-day, high-quality care and the capacity to sustain it.
Invest in innovative workforce solutions that can more effectively build the pipeline of high-quality, culturally-competent early childhood educators.
Align investments with public efforts to enhance access to high-quality early learning and care.
Grantee Spotlight
Erikson Institute
Erikson Institute is a leading institution of higher education that prepares professionals to address the urgent challenges facing young children, their families, and communities. In 2023, Erikson launched an innovative Master of Science in Early Childhood Education (MSECE) licensure program with a curriculum that integrates content for three endorsements that are typically taught separately: early childhood, special education, and bilingual learners/English as a Second Language (ESL). This first-of-its-kind master’s program in Illinois aims to bring a wider variety of people into the early childhood workforce while also increasing the number of highly qualified teachers in divested communities. Schreiber Philanthropy helped to support the launch of the Triple Endorsement (T3) program and the Educator Impact Grants for T3 students. These grants cover the full cost of tuition and fees for students who are committed to serving young children in divested communities for at least four years, while also participating in a two-year professional learning community.
Grantee Spotlight
Start Early
Start Early, formerly known as The Ounce of Prevention Fund, has spent the last 40 years focused on enhancing access to high-quality early learning and care through direct service, advocacy, and policy efforts. Start Early also helped launch the Educare Learning Network, which encompasses some of the nation’s most diverse and effective early childhood schools serving under-resourced communities. The first Educare was introduced by Start Early in 2000 to serve families living in the Robert Taylor Homes (what was then one of the largest public housing developments in Chicago). Since then, a network of 25+ schools have opened across the country, serving children and families who may not otherwise be able to access early learning programming. Since Lake County is an early childhood education desert, Schreiber Philanthropy and Start Early started exploring the feasibility of bringing an Educare to Lake County. In 2023, the Schreiber family made an anchor investment to help launch the 27th Educare in the country, and only the 2nd that’s managed directly by Start Early, in Lake County. Educare will be a critical resource for Lake County, serving more than 170 children and families from communities like Zion, Waukegan, North Chicago, and Beach Park. Interim programming has already begun in Waukegan and Beach Park, and a permanent site is on track to open in Zion in 2025/2026. The investment also supports Start Early’s broader work in Illinois, as well as the National Educare Network, which is focused on learning what leads to strong student outcomes in order to inform federal and state policy changes.
Impact
Equitable access to high-quality education has been a key area of focus from the beginning, as John credits much of his success to good teachers and a strong commitment to his academics. After initially focusing on higher education, John and Kathy started moving “backwards,” investing in education at the K – 12 and, eventually, early childhood levels.
Since 2005
$180M+ in Grants
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