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.
