Researchers focused on a program called Educare, which experts say could serve as a model for the future of Head Start. In a field with high turnover, Educare is known for keeping children with the same teacher until age 3. Other features — small class sizes, a full-day schedule and strong family support — further set the model apart from most early-childhood centers serving young children from poor families. Those elements pay off once children enter school, according to a recent study focusing on an Educare site in Tulsa, Oklahoma, which follows the same model as the Long Beach center. Those who spent their early years in the program entered kindergarten on pace academically with students from more affluent families, the study found. And even through third grade, they had stronger language and math skills than peers without the same early experiences.