General

Pre-kindergarten Initiative in 2013-14:
Rhode Island State Prekindergarten Program

State agency with administrative authority over pre-K:
State Department of Education

Availability of program:
7 out of 40 towns/communities (17%)

Are districts, counties, or towns in Rhode Island required to offer this pre-kindergarten initiative?
No, competitive

Hours of operation per day:
School day, 6 hours/day

Is there a formal partnership at the state level to provide extended day services through collaboration with other agencies and programs?
No1

Enrollment

Fall 2013, Total children:
234

Fall 2011, by age:
234 4-year-olds

Fall 2011, by type of administering agency:
Public schools, 18; Nonpublic schools, 216

Program enrollment, Fall 2013, by operating schedule:
Extended day, 53; School day, 181

Eligibility

Minimum age for eligibility:
4 by September 1

Maximum age for eligibility:
5 by September 1

Kindergarten eligibility age:
5 by September 1

Does state policy allow any exceptions to the age requirement for prekindergarten or kindergarten eligibility?
Yes2

State policy on enrolling children in state pre-K when they are eligible for kindergarten:
Children may not enroll in pre-K if they are age-eligible for kindergarten

Aside from age, how is eligibility determined for individual children for this state prekindergarten initiative?
All age-eligible children in districts offering the program, or in the entire state, may enroll3

What was the state-specified income requirement during the 2013-14 program year?
No income requirement

To whom, or to what percentage of children, does the income requirement apply?

Is there a sliding payment scale based on income?
No

Is child eligibility for this state prekindergarten initiative ever reassessed after a child has been enrolled in the program?
No

Risk Factors

Risk factors besides income that can be used to determine eligibility:
Not applicable

How many of the specified risk factors must be present for eligibility?
NA

How do these risk factors relate to the income cutoff for the state pre-K program?
No income requirement

Class Sizes

Maximum class size:
4-year-olds, 18

Staff-child ratio requirement:
4-year-olds,1 to 9

Teachers

Minimum teacher degree requirement:
BA (public and nonpublic)

Required teacher certification, licensure, and/or endorsement:
Public and nonpublic: EC (Pre-K – 2)

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 by percent:
BA, 100

Education level of teachers during 2011-12 totals:
BA, 13

Teacher in-service requirement:
20 clock hours per per year

Minimum assistant teacher degree requirement:
HSD plus 12 college credits in EC

Assistant teacher specialized training requirement:
Public and nonpublic: HSD plus 12 college credits in EC

Services

Meal requirement:
Lunch; Snack

Support services for English Language Learners and families:
Professional development or coaching is provided for teachers; Programs are required to screen and assess all children; A home language survey is sent home at the beginning of the school year; Information must be presented to parents in their primary language

Support services required for all programs:
Parent involvement activities; Transition to K activities; Parent conferences and/or home visits

Regulations

Screening and referral requirements:
Required: Vision; Hearing; Immunizations; Psychological/Behavioral; Full physical exam; Developmental; Other, Speech/language development

State’s early learning standards document in 2013-14.
Rhode Island Early Learning and Development Standards

For more information about the early learning standards in 2013-14:
www.rields.com4

Funding

Days per week the state prekindergarten initiative is funded to operate using state funds:
5 days per week

Annual operating schedule for this state-funded prekindergarten initiative:
Academic year

Actual fiscal year 2014 spending for this state prekindergarten initiative:
$2,284,475

All funding sources:
State, $1,950,475; Federal, $334,000

State funding sources and amounts:
General revenue, $1,950,475

Federal funding sources and amounts:
Race to the Top, Early Learning Challenge Grant, $334,0005

Is funding for this state prekindergarten initiative determined by a school funding or state aid formula?
Yes6

Agencies eligible to receive funding directly:
Public schools, Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers

Agencies with which subcontracting is permitted:
Public schools, Head Start, Private CC, Faith-based centers

Is there a required local match for this program?
No

Select a state program to view details.


Rhode Island Footnotes

  1. There is no formal partnership at the state level, but individual grantees are required to make extended-day services available either by providing such services directly or partnering with another agency which offers such services.
  2. Determined locally. Districts have the option to adopt policies that allow for early entry to kindergarten only based on the determination that a child is developmentally ready for kindergarten.
  3. All age-eligible children in districts offering the program may enroll. Children must reside in the district, town, or community in which the program is offered.
  4. Speech/language development
  5. The early learning and development standards also address: Literacy, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Creative Arts
  6. Two pre-kindergarten classrooms were funded in FY14 with RTT-ELC funds as part of an exploratory study.
  7. The Rhode Island Education Aid Foundation Formula approved in 2010 takes a phased-in approach to expanding access to high-quality Pre-K, starting with communities that have a high proportion of children eligible for free and reduced price lunch. The phased-in approach, investing 10 million dollars over 10 years, will ensure that Pre-K expansion creates high-quality learning programs, improves access for the students who need it the most, and assures a smooth transition between early childhood and K-12.
  8. BrightStars, Rhode Island’s quality rating and improvement system, recognizes and supports quality in child care and early learning programs. Child care and afterschool programs voluntarily join to be rated by BrightStars and are assessed in the following areas: Health, Safety and Nutrition, Enrollment and Staffing, Staff Qualifications and Ongoing Professional Development, Administration, Early Learning and Development, and Family Engagement. Programs must demonstrate that they meet all the required standards at a particular star level (1 – 5) in order to receive the corresponding star rating. In the fall of 2013, BrightStars adopted new quality standards for program rating of child care centers/preschools and family child care homes. As of August 2014, BrightStars had rated 730 programs. More information is available at: http://www.brightstars.org/
  9. Teaching Strategies GOLD