News from the Rhode Island Child Care and Early Learning Facilities Fund
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Our Newest Online Workshop
“Child Care Center Playground Safety”
is Now Available!
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Did you know that the majority of serious injuries that occur in schools and child care facilities happen on playgrounds? We know that you care a lot about the safety and well-being of children in your care and want to do all that you can to be sure the environment is set up in a way that encourages exploration, play, and thoughtful risk, while minimizing exposure to true hazards. This new self-guided, interactive workshop has been developed for child care center directors, owners, education coordinators, facility managers, school leaders, architects, landscape designers, and others who work with educational facilities. The workshop will cover:
- Where to start in understanding the overall safety of your play space, including how to identify common hazards
- What is a “playground audit”
- How do you develop a “standard of care”
This workshop is laid out as a series of videos, hosted by Lucas Murray, a LISC consultant. Luke is a registered landscape architect, owner of 4Site, LLC, Certified Playground Safety Inspector, and former Boston Parks Department Superintendent. Playground safety guidelines discussed in this training are the law for public schools in Rhode Island and form the foundation for playground safety in child care centers and early education facilities in our state. The essential concepts outlined in this training will help you make immediate improvements to your facility. Enjoy!
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Reminder: Registration is Open for “Building Solutions for Infant and Toddler Care”
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Just a quick reminder that registration is open for our 12/7 Infant & Toddler training (2.5 PD hours)!
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Winter is Coming!
How to get your Facility Ready –
Inside and Outside.
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The first day of winter is less than a month away! With winter comes a whole new set of playground safety challenges. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Pay extra attention to things like scarves, long ties on jackets or other loose string-type things on children’s clothing. These items can become stuck on equipment and cause a strangulation hazard!
- Be sure to check equipment for ice and snow build-up.
- Remember that when playground safety surfacing becomes frozen it is no longer effective and may not provide protection if a child were to fall.
Children should continue to go outside to play during the winter months. However, there may be times when playground equipment cannot be safely used so be sure to have alternate activities for children!
And winter preparation doesn’t stop outside either – let’s make sure winter doesn’t wreak havoc on your building
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November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month! Reduce Exposure to Radon
at Your Child Care Center.
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With lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in the US and exposure to radon as the second leading cause of lung cancer, it is especially important to make sure your facility has been radon tested.
Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas that comes from the breakdown of uranium in soil, rock, and water. It is invisible, odorless, and tasteless and can enter homes and buildings through small openings or cracks in the foundation.
Radon breaks down into radioactive particles that can cause cancer when inhaled over a long period of time. Children are especially susceptible and there is no safe level of radon exposure.
Learn more about radon and how to test for radon by visiting the Rhode Island Department of Health website.
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Simple Ways to Increase your Indoor
Air Quality and Reduce Exposure to Pollutants
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While reducing exposure to toxins and pollutants can seem daunting, there are also some simple solutions to increase your indoor air quality. Here are a few practices you can establish in your child care center:
- Open the windows and let some fresh air in, even just for a few minutes.
- Clean or change all the filters in your center regularly, particularly those for your heater or furnace, air conditioner, air purifier, and vacuum.
- Use a HEPA air purifier. Make sure to get an air purifier that eliminates Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that off-gas from paint, furniture, and cleaning chemicals.
- Place some green plants around your space. Plants not only absorb carbon monoxide and release oxygen, but they also scrub the air of pollutants.
- Use paint that has low or no VOC’s.
- Always choose non-toxic adhesive, finishes, and varnishes where possible.
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United Way - Application Deadline
for the Executive Directors Learning Circle
Has Been Extended
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Interested in joining an exciting professional development opportunity? The deadline has been extended until December 6th to apply for the second session of the Executive Directors Learning Circle.
This unique learning experience is open to Executive Directors who lead organizations with a budget size of less than one million. The eleven month experience will commence on Friday, December 15th and continue monthly on the 3rd Friday of each month from 8:30-11:30am.
Each monthly session will include competency topics, group discussions, and practical scenario sharing.
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Federal Reserve Small Business Credit Survey
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LISC is partnering with the Federal Reserve on a Small Business Credit Survey for both pre-start and existing businesses, and we’d like you to participate. Your answers will help business service providers and lenders understand real-time business conditions. This short survey takes less than 9 minutes to complete. Individual responses are confidential and summary results will be shared with you.
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Have you missed any of our previous eNEWS or want to reference something you saw in an article from the past?
Our entire eNEWS catalog is available on our website.
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About RICCELFF
The Rhode Island Child Care and Early Learning Facilities Fund (RICCELFF) is an innovative public-private partnership dedicated to expanding access to quality child care and early education opportunities throughout Rhode Island. The RICCELFF provides the capital and technical expertise that child care and early learning centers need to improve the quality and capacity of their physical space. The RICCELFF provides a combination of training, technical assistance, grant funding and flexible, affordable financing for a wide range of indoor and outdoor projects including minor renovations or construction of new, state-of-the art facilities and playground spaces.
Click here
to learn more about what the RICCELFF can offer your program.
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LISC Rhode Island Child Care & Early Learning Facilities Fund | 146 Clifford Street
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