The Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) is accepting applications from early childhood education (ECE) programs for its new Comprehensive Literacy State Development (CLSD) Grant program. In October 2019, the U.S. Department of Education awarded RIDE $20 million for the grant program, which will strengthen literacy development and instruction for children from birth through grade 12.
RIDE has set aside $3 million in CLSD Grant funds for community-based organizations and public schools that serve children from birth to pre-kindergarten. ECE programs across the state are encouraged to apply for a grant to boost their literacy efforts and curriculum. The objectives of the Birth to Pre-K grants are the following:
Increase the percentage of students with access to high-quality curriculum, as defined in RIDE’s Comprehensive Early Childhood Education (CECE) Standards and/or the BrightStars standards
Increase the number of programs utilizing Teaching Strategies Gold (TSG) to monitor student progress
Increase the number of families participating in Pre-K evidence-based literacy activities
The grant period is five years. Applicants must conduct and submit a needs analysis with their application, along with a scope of work, work plan, budget, and demonstration of their capacity to implement the grant. Programs can apply for grant funding for the following activities, among others:
Purchase a high-quality Pre-K curriculum
Provide professional learning to implement high-quality curriculum
Evaluate progress with TSG
Provide professional learning to implement a multi-tiered system of support (MTSS)
Implement an itinerant special education model
Enhance their transition-to-kindergarten programs
Grant applications are due February 26, 2020, by 4:00 pm. Questions? Email clsd@ride.ri.gov.
The Rhode Island Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Child Care has announced three orientation dates in 2020 for people interested in obtaining a state license to operate as a family child care home provider.
DHS, in collaboration with the Center for Early Learning Professionals and Ready to Learn Providence, will offer the orientation sessions on three Fridays: January 17, April 17, and August 21. The orientations will be offered in English in the morning and Spanish in the afternoon. The sessions will be held at the Pawtucket Public Library, 13 Summer Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860.
The orientation sessions explain the licensing process to participants, and are the first step toward obtaining a state license. Participants need to attend just one orientation. After the orientation, participants then enroll in and complete a series of trainings that provide information about health and safety in family child care homes, state licensing regulations, and high-quality learning environments for young children. After participants complete all trainings, Center staff will support them as they apply for licensure.
People interested in attending an orientation session must register online. DHS will confirm attendance and the hours of each orientation after people register. For additional information, please call 401-528-3624.
Rhode Island educators are invited to a day-long summit on November 22 that will explore young children’s transition to kindergarten. Register to learn about national transition trends, hear from RI communities currently participating in transition work, and build upon your current transition practices with a transition toolkit designed to improve upon the transition experiences of all RI children.
The Rhode Island Transition Summit: Effective Transitions to Enhance School Readiness will take place on Friday, November 22, 2019, from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick. Lunch will not be provided.
The summit objectives include:
Learn why the transition to kindergarten is important
Explore transition strategies that support child success
Learn about the transition plans that Rhode Island communities are implementing
Examine a toolkit of transition resources
Discuss the implications for your community
All are welcome, but participants are encouraged to come in teams that include administrators and teachers from both elementary schools and community-based preschools. The summit is sponsored by the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) and organized by the Center for Early Learning Professionals. A team of transition coaches will lead and facilitate the day’s activities.
Effective today, Rhode Island’s Child Care Licensing Team has moved from the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) to the Office of Child Care in the Department of Human Services (DHS). The state General Assembly voted to transfer the team to strengthen child care services for Rhode Islanders and better support the state’s early childhood workforce.
For child care providers and programs, your day-to-day responsibilities of providing safe, quality care to children as outlined by current child care licensing regulations will not change. All active child care licenses—for both family child care homes and centers—remain valid, and current licensing regulations and requirements are still in place.
To learn more, visit the new Child Care Licensing website and read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document from DHS.
On November 15 and 16, the University of Rhode Island’s Early Childhood Institute is holding free professional development for early childhood professionals and directors from across the state.
The institute will be led by teachers and staff at the URI Child Development Center (CDC) and by faculty from the department of Human Development and Family Studies. Topics include supporting children with special needs, speech and language, promoting positive social behavior in children, executive function, and many more. Participants are invited to share their own best practices in a “Big Ideas” Teaching Showcase.
The Friday sessions are targeted to early childhood program directors and leaders, and the Saturday sessions are targeted to early childhood teachers and providers. All will include presentations, breakout sessions, and hands-on teaching demos by CDC teachers.
The sessions have been approved through the Center for the Early Learning Professionals and will be held at the URI Feinstein Providence Campus, 80 Washington Street. Seating is limited, so early registration is encouraged. Registration priority will be given to programs and providers enrolled in BrightStars and that accept children with CCAP.
