Start Early
Start Early is a national nonprofit founded in 1982 that operates the 25-school Educare Network and federally-funded Head Start/Early Head Start programs, delivering free birth-to-five early childhood education, family support, and workforce development to low-income families across the United States.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1982
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Start Early does
Start Early is a national nonprofit organization founded in 1982 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, focused on prenatal-to-five early childhood education and care. The organization operates a platform-plus-network model comprising the Educare Network of 25 schools delivering birth-to-five evidence-based curricula, federally-funded Early Head Start/Head Start programs serving low-income families and pregnant mothers (including seven centers in Indian River County serving 300+ children annually), and integrated family support services such as doula services, home visiting, and early intervention support. Programs are provided free of charge to eligible families meeting income requirements, eliminating a traditional commercial pricing layer.
Start Early's revenue mechanics depend on a blend of federal and state government appropriations for Head Start/Early Head Start contracts, grants, and philanthropic donations from corporate and individual supporters. Under outgoing President Diana Rauner's 15-year tenure, the organization grew from a $35 million Illinois-focused entity to a $125 million national operation, now employing 251–500 staff across multiple states. The organization monetizes not through tuition but through sustained public funding and contributed revenue, with delivery executed via direct program operation and community-based partnerships rather than a channel-mediated GTM.
The organization's go-to-market is community-led and advocacy-driven, including hosting and participating in industry summits such as the CAKES Childcare Summit and joining coalitions like the Moms First National Business Coalition for Child Care. Customer segmentation spans low-income families with children prenatal to age 5 (primary), early childhood educators and workforce (primary), and school districts and policymakers (secondary). Notable ongoing strategic activity includes the groundbreaking of the Educare Lake County facility in Zion, Illinois (38,000 sq ft, opening late 2027, serving 174 children) and a planned June 2026 leadership transition from Diana Rauner to Celena Sarillo.
Start Early firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Start Early
- Legal name
- Start Early
- Website
- https://startearly.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1982
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Start Early is a national nonprofit founded in 1982 that operates the 25-school Educare Network and federally-funded Head Start/Early Head Start programs, delivering free birth-to-five early childhood education, family support, and workforce development to low-income families across the United States.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Start Early industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Early Childhood Education Services
- NAICS
- Child Care Services (62441), Educational Services (61), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits (BPAGADAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs (EDACABAK), Early Head Start & Publicly Funded Infant/Toddler Programs (EDACAGAH), Parenting Skills & Child Development Education (EDACALAA), Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping Resources (State/NAEYC/Head Start) (EDACAJAN)
Keywords
Where Start Early is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Start Early business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Grants and Donations: As a national nonprofit, Start Early generates revenue through grants, corporate donations, and philanthropic support. Received a $20,000 grant from Name Bubbles and receives product donations to support programming.
- Government Funding: Operates federally-funded Early Head Start/Head Start programs serving low-income families, representing a significant portion of program operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Free early childhood education for low-income families |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels2 records
Start Early product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Start Early is a national nonprofit that delivers prenatal-to-age-five early childhood education through its 25-school Educare Network and Head Start/Early Head Start programs, alongside wraparound family support services, educator professional development, applied research, and public policy advocacy aimed at expanding access to high-quality early learning for underserved children and families.
Product overview
Start Early is a national nonprofit early childhood education organization founded in 1982, operating a platform-plus-network model consisting of the Educare Network (25 schools providing birth-to-5 programming), the Early Head Start/Head Start program (free services for low-income families), and integrated family support services including prenatal care, home visiting, and workforce development. The Educare Lake County facility represents an expansion of the network model to address documented child care deserts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Educare Network
- Head Start Program
- Early Head Start Program
- Family Support Services
- Educator Professional Development and Training
- Applied Research and Policy Advocacy
- Educare Lake County
Quantifiable outcome
- Educare programs significantly improve school readiness outcomes including literacy proficiency and math skills compared to children in other programs.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Start Early
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Start Early technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Start Early partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- CAKES BodycoreCAKES Body partnered with Start Early, Moms First, and TOOTRiS to host the CAKES Childcare Summit in New York City, advancing the 'Childcare 2.0' movement to promote childcare as essential workforce infrastructure. CAKES released its Childcare Credit Policy as an open-source model for employers, reporting 100% enrollment among eligible staff and 26% of total employees using the benefit.
- Moms FirstcoreMoms First partnered with Start Early and CAKES Body at the CAKES Childcare Summit to advance childcare as essential workforce infrastructure. Both organizations are inviting other companies to join the Moms First National Business Coalition for Child Care.
- TOOTRiScoreTOOTRiS partnered with Start Early, CAKES Body, and Moms First at the CAKES Childcare Summit to advance the 'Childcare 2.0' movement and redefine the future of work through childcare policy reform.
- Name BubblescoreName Bubbles, an award-winning company for kids' custom name labels, contributed a $20,000 grant and $5,000 in product donations to strengthen Start Early's programming and family support services. The partnership integrates Name Bubbles' personalized labels into Start Early's directly operated programs, distributing products to teachers, doulas, home visitors, and families across the United States.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Start Early competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- National Head Start Association: National membership and advocacy organization for Head Start grantees, directly comparable to Start Early as a federally-aligned nonprofit supporting Head Start / Early Head Start delivery and policy advancement.
- Child Care Aware of America: National nonprofit advancing child care access and workforce supports, directly comparable to Start Early in mission around early childhood advocacy, family support, and addressing child care deserts.
- ZERO TO THREE: National nonprofit focused on the prenatal-to-age-3 period, overlapping directly with Start Early's birth-to-five programming including doula services and home visiting supports.
- Sesame Workshop: Nonprofit behind Sesame Street, producing evidence-based early childhood curriculum and content. Directly comparable in deploying research-backed curricula to improve school-readiness outcomes at national scale.
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): Professional association setting quality standards for early childhood education. Comparable to Start Early in advancing practitioner credentials, curriculum standards, and workforce-development initiatives.
- Parents as Teachers: National nonprofit delivering evidence-based home visiting and parent education from prenatal through kindergarten, directly overlapping Start Early's family support and home visiting services.
Broad incumbents
- Bright Horizons Family Solutions: For-profit global provider of early education and child care serving infants through school-age; comparable scale of operating classrooms and employer-sponsored child care partnerships that Start Early advocates for through Childcare 2.0.
- KinderCare Learning Companies: Largest U.S. provider of early childhood education and family support services. Comparable national classroom footprint and birth-to-five programming, differing primarily as a commercial vs. nonprofit operator.
- Teach For America: Large national education nonprofit with comparable scale ($100M+ revenue) and national footprint. Both operate as mission-driven nonprofits influencing educator pipelines and early learning policy; relevance is in scale and governance model rather than direct service overlap.
Others
- National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER): Academic / policy research center producing the annual State of Preschool report; an adjacent research counterpart that informs the same school-readiness evidence base Start Early uses to differentiate Educare outcomes.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Start Early social profiles
Digital presenceStart Early financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Start Early leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Start Early subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Start Early funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Start Early M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Start Early
What does Start Early do?
Start Early is a national nonprofit that delivers prenatal-to-age-five early childhood education through its 25-school Educare Network and Head Start/Early Head Start programs, alongside wraparound family support services, educator professional development, applied research, and public policy advocacy aimed at expanding access to high-quality early learning for underserved children and families.
Is Start Early a public or private company?
Start Early is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Start Early founded?
Start Early was founded in 1982. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Start Early based?
Start Early is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Start Early make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Grants and Donations are the primary driver. The others are government Funding.
Who are Start Early's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are National Head Start Association, Child Care Aware of America, ZERO TO THREE, Sesame Workshop, National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and Parents as Teachers. Broad incumbents are Bright Horizons Family Solutions, KinderCare Learning Companies and Teach For America. National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) is listed as an others.
Does Start Early have an API?
No public API is recorded for Start Early.
What industry is Start Early in?
Start Early's product category is Early Childhood Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGADAA, Early Childhood Education & Childcare Nonprofits, with a secondary code of EDACABAK, Head Start & Public Pre-K Programs. Its NAICS code is 62441 and its SIC code is 8351.