RIDE Announces New Pre-K Expansion

A multi-ethnic group of preschool students is sitting with their legs crossed on the floor in their classroom. The mixed-race female teacher is sitting on the floor facing the children. The happy kids are smiling and following the teacher's instructions. They have their arms raised in the air.

The Rhode Island Department of Education is requesting applications to expand the state’s Pre-Kindergarten program. This expansion will add over 300 high-quality Pre-K seats, for four-year-olds, in the 2021-2022 school year.

This year there are new and innovative service delivery models, built on existing programming that will be available to families.  Options include full traditional Pre-K classrooms, the expansion, and extension of existing Head Start classrooms, the use of braided funding to allow children of varied social-economic backgrounds to participate in the same classroom, strengthening programming for families involved in the state’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), and transforming special education preschools.

At Children’s Friend, we know how critical it is to invest in early learning, and we applaud the Rhode Island Department of Education for the opportunity to apply to be a part of this cutting-edge model.

Ronald Contreras, Chief of Finance