HighScope Educational Research Foundation

What HighScope Educational Research Foundation does

HighScope Educational Research Foundation is an independent nonprofit founded in 1970 and headquartered in Ypsilanti, Michigan. The organization develops evidence-based early childhood education (ECE) curriculum, observation-based assessment tools, and professional learning programs for educators serving children from birth through age five. Its methodology is anchored in the Active Learning approach, built on the trademarked Plan-Do-Review sequence, and validated through the landmark Perry Preschool Study (1962-1967) and over 50 years of subsequent research demonstrating a $12.90 per-dollar return on investment. Product offerings include the Infant-Toddler Curriculum (42 Key Developmental Indicators across six content areas), the Preschool Curriculum (58 KDIs across eight content areas), and proprietary assessment tools—COR Advantage (34 items, 8 developmental areas), Classroom Coach, and the Program Quality Assessment (63 dimensions, 7 domains). All are aligned to Head Start, Common Core, and all 50 US state early learning standards.

The organization monetizes through four primary streams: one-time curriculum product and assessment sales (e.g., Getting Started with HighScope Infant-Toddler Curriculum at $750, Preschool Curriculum Course at $975), recurring subscription-based assessment platforms, fee-based professional learning delivered in-person, online, and hybrid through HighScope Meet (with IACET CEUs and graduate credits via Marshall University), and conference/event revenue from the Annual International Conference and IGNITE Leadership Conference. Distribution combines a direct e-commerce shop (177 SKUs), toll-free customer service for enterprise orders, and field-based engagement with educators and programs. A tri-layer credentialing system—Teacher Certification, Trainer Certification, and Program Accreditation (PQA ≥4.0)—reinforces adoption.

HighScope serves a distributed base of child care facilities, preschools, Head Start programs, K-12 districts, individual educators, and families, with classrooms operating in all 50 US states and 12 countries. Notable institutional partners include NAEYC (Platinum Sponsor), General Motors (STEM kit development), the Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit Public Television, and Marshall University. A Demonstrational Preschool on the Ypsilanti campus, operated in partnership with Gretchen's House since 2021, anchors the model site.

Name

HighScope Educational Research Foundation

Legal name

HighScope Educational Research Foundation

Website

https://highscope.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

HighScope Educational Research Foundation is an independent nonprofit that develops evidence-based early childhood education curriculum, observation-based assessment tools, and professional learning programs serving childcare programs, Head Start, schools, educators, and families across all 50 US states and 12 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Early Childhood Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Standards Alignment & Curriculum Mapping Resources (State/NAEYC/Head Start) (EDACAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Assessment, Screening & Progress Monitoring Tools (0–5) (EDACANAI), Training & Credential Compliance Tracking (PD registry alignment) (EDACAKAH), Observation, Documentation & Portfolio Systems (Anecdotal, Checklists, Learning Stories) (EDACAJAD)

Keywords

• Early childhood education
• Preschool curriculum
• Child assessment tools
• Educator professional development
• Program quality assessment

Headquarters

HQ city

Ypsilanti

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Curriculum Products Sales: Sale of physical and digital curriculum materials, assessment tools, and educational resources through the HighScope shop. Products include infant-toddler curriculum, preschool curriculum, STEM kits, and classroom materials.
2. Professional Learning Courses: Fee-based professional development courses offered in-person, hybrid, and online formats. Courses include curriculum training, assessment certification, and educator development programs with IACET CEUs.
3. Assessment Tools and Subscriptions: Sale of assessment tools including COR Advantage, Classroom Coach, PQA, and COR for Kindergarten. Online assessment platforms and reliability testing certifications.
4. Conference and Events: Revenue from annual conferences including registration fees, sponsorships, and exhibitor fees from the Annual International Conference and IGNITE Leadership Conference.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

HighScope sells evidence-based early childhood education curricula (Infant-Toddler Curriculum and Preschool Curriculum), research-validated observation-based assessment tools (COR Advantage, COR for Kindergarten, Classroom Coach, Program Quality Assessment, Ready School Assessment), and fee-based professional learning courses, certifications, and program accreditation. Offerings are grounded in the Plan-Do-Review active learning approach and the Key Developmental Indicators framework, delivered through the HighScope Virtual CAMPUS platform, in-person training, and an e-commerce shop.

Product overview

HighScope Educational Research Foundation offers a comprehensive early childhood education ecosystem comprising curriculum products (Infant-Toddler Curriculum and Preschool Curriculum), assessment tools (COR Advantage, COR for Kindergarten, Classroom Coach, Program Quality Assessment, and Ready School Assessment), professional learning services, and the HighScope Virtual CAMPUS online platform. The curriculum products are grounded in active learning methodology with Key Developmental Indicators aligned to national and state standards. Assessment tools support observation-based evaluation of child development, classroom quality, and program improvement. Professional learning includes certification programs for teachers, trainers, and program accreditation, delivered through in-person, online, and hybrid formats. The HighScope at Home resource extends family engagement. Together, these products form an integrated approach to early childhood education quality improvement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Infant-Toddler Curriculum

Quantifiable outcome

• Return on investment of $12.90 per dollar invested in Perry Preschool program, including education savings, tax revenue, welfare savings, and crime reduction
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Gretchen's HousecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021HighScope and Gretchen's House share a commitment to high-quality programs for children. Since 2007, Gretchen's House has used HighScope's curriculum, assessment, and professional learning. In 2021, the relationship expanded with Gretchen's House serving as the operating partner for the HighScope Demonstration Preschool.
• NAEYCcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNAEYC is the foremost professional membership organization committed to transforming lives of young children. HighScope is a Platinum Level Year-Round Sponsor, providing financial, philosophical, and other relevant support for NAEYC's work.
• Detroit Institute of ArtssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the DIA Kids Program providing Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne county children opportunities to explore art. HighScope conducts high-level review of educational materials, provides professional learning and coaching for DIA staff, and evaluates the program's preschool teacher and caregiver perceptions.
• Detroit Public TelevisionsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHighScope is conducting an evaluation of Detroit Public Television's neighborhood model (developed in 2018) aimed at improving quality of adult-child interactions and fostering networks between caregivers and community partners.
• General MotorssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneral Motors has partnered with HighScope to improve STEM education for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. With GM support, HighScope is developing two STEM kits with activities, resources, and family components for teachers and caregivers.
• Marshall UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerHighScope and Marshall University partnership provides transferable graduate credits for HighScope professional learning courses. All HighScope professional learning courses are eligible for the program.
• Head Start ProgramscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHighScope curriculum and assessment tools are aligned with Head Start Program Performance Standards. Programs use PQA for compliance with national standards. The organization has conducted training in Head Start programs across all 50 US states.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Teaching Strategies: Teaching Strategies publishes The Creative Curriculum and the GOLD child assessment system for birth–age 5, the most direct head-to-head competitor to HighScope's curriculum + COR Advantage stack in Head Start and preschool programs.
• Frog Street: Frog Street sells early childhood curriculum kits (Frog Street Pre-K, Frog Street Threes) and accompanying professional development aimed at the same Head Start and preschool buyers as HighScope.
• Scholastic Early Childhood: Scholastic's early childhood division publishes curriculum, classroom magazines, and book programs serving PreK–Grade 3 markets, overlapping with HighScope's preschool literacy and family-engagement offerings.
• Kaplan Early Learning Company: Kaplan supplies early childhood classrooms with curriculum kits, manipulatives, and classroom furniture, competing with HighScope in the same preschool product catalog channels.

Broad incumbents

• McGraw-Hill Education: McGraw-Hill is a large diversified K–12 and postsecondary publisher that also serves early childhood markets; its broader portfolio overlaps with HighScope's standards-aligned curriculum and assessment business.
• Pearson Education: Pearson is a global education publisher and assessment operator with PreK–12 products, providing a comparable scale benchmark for curriculum, assessment, and professional learning offerings.

Emerging players

• Waterford.org: Waterford Upstart and Waterford Early Learning are digital early-literacy programs targeting PreK–Grade 2 with adaptive technology, representing a digital-native threat to HighScope's print-heavy curriculum model.
• Vroom: Vroom provides science-based parent-engagement and brain-building activity tips for ages 0–5, directly comparable to HighScope at Home in the family-engagement segment.

Others

• NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children): NAEYC is the leading early childhood professional association and HighScope's Platinum sponsor partner; it shapes the accreditation and policy ecosystem in which HighScope competes but does not sell competing products.
• Bright Horizons Family Solutions: Bright Horizons operates employer-sponsored child care centers and is a large-scale ECE delivery buyer of curriculum and assessment, making it an ecosystem customer/peer rather than a direct curriculum competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/highscopeus
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/HighScopePreschool
• Facebookfacebook.com/HighScopeUS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/highscopeus
• Instagraminstagram.com/highscopeus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HighScope Educational Research Foundation