News from the Rhode Island Child Care and Early Learning Facilities Fund
July 2018 eNEWS
Tiered Rates Celebrations Hosted
at LISC Funded Sites
What do a former Verizon warehouse and a previously abandoned nursing home have in common? They were both transformed into early learning centers that this year hosted the Governor and celebrations of tiered rates for quality child care in Rhode Island.
 
On January 31, 2018 Governor Raimondo announced the state’s commitment to increase rates for child care centers caring for state subsidized children with a particular focus on incentivizing quality care. This announcement was held at Beautiful Beginnings Child Care Center, a space that LISC helped transform from a former Verizon warehouse into a four star child care center and state pre-k program for 150 children. LISC's investment of $878,750 along with extensive technical assistance coupled with the leadership and vision of the team at Beautiful Beginnings has helped this center thrive. Learn more about this project here .
A short 6 months later, Governor Raimondo would gather early education leaders and advocates again to celebrate a victory with the passage of tiered reimbursement rates. Thanks to the tireless work of advocates, community members, legislators, the Department of Human Services and the governor’s office, Rhode Island families benefiting from the state child care subsidy system will soon have improved access to high-quality early learning programs. These programs are vital to child development and an essential component to growing a strong and diverse workforce in our state.
We were pleased that this long-awaited celebration took place at another LISC supported site, The Children’s Workshop in Central Falls. When LISC first toured this space it was the site of an abandoned nursing home. Assisting The Children’s Workshop with the revitalization of this building into a quality child care center not only provided much needed access to care for children of Central Falls but also helped to transform an area of blight and abandonment in the city. LISC’s investment of $575,000 coupled with technical support was an important component of setting up this space for success. Nevertheless, the center has many unmet needs, and Maggie Teller, President and CEO of The Children's Workshop, is relieved to see potential resources on the horizon.

Tiered reimbursement is going to help child care centers improve quality across all aspects of operation. According to Teller, "It allows us to hire and retain the best teachers. It allows us to invest in the program, invest in the facility... We know that children who have high quality experiences between 0 and 5 years old have greater outcomes throughout the rest of their lives."
What's Bugging You?
The dog days of summer not only bring on the heat and humidity, they can also bring on a host of pests. But, wait! Before you attack with traditional pesticides, stop and learn more about better approaches to pest management. Pesticides may be poisonous to pests, but they are also poisonous to people, animals and the environment. Pesticides enter the environment through water and air. Pesticides can enter storm drains and seep through the ground or run off of sidewalks or soil into streams and lakes that provide drinking water to humans and animals.

Pesticides can also sometimes make pest problems worse. Early childhood professionals should be especially aware of risks since children are much more vulnerable to the effects of pesticides in the environment than adults! 
If a pesticide is present in the air, food, or water, a greater amount will be taken in by a child in proportion to their body size or weight than by an adult.

There is good news on what’s bugging you though! There are many far less toxic approaches that will work as well, if not better than traditional pesticides. You can learn more by downloading, reading and sharing this great resource, Integrated Pest Management, a Curriculum for Early Childhood Professionals , put together by the California Child Care Health Program.
Advocating for you
Beyond our Rhode Island Borders
LISC Rhode Island Deputy Director Cindy Larson was recently elected to the executive board for the National Children's Facilities Network.
 
The National Children’s Facilities Network (NCFN) is a coalition of nonprofit financial and technical assistance intermediaries involved in planning, developing and financing facilities for low-income child care and Head Start programs. The Network’s purpose is to share information on child care facilities issues; initiate legislation and regulations affecting low-income child care and Head Start facilities; and develop and support various financing strategies, initiatives and programs. The members of the Network increase supply and help improve the quality of child care by providing technical assistance and financing to address capital needs.
Follow Us on Social Media
Did you know that your favorite Child Care and Early Learning Facilities Fund is on Twitter AND Facebook? You can follow us here and like our page here . Please let us know if there is something in particular you would like to see more (or less) of on our pages!
 
Over the next few months you may notice we will be adding to our usual posts of resources, information, and pertinent news with teasers for the upcoming Blue Across Rhode Island Day of Service event which will take place on September 21st. We will be promoting our partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of RI to help transform two child care center outdoor play spaces with low-cost, small-scale solutions as part of our Outdoor Play Intervention Program ( learn more about the program and all five of this year’s program participants here ).
 
We are asking for your help! Not only do we want to share updates on this program and highlight our partners with these posts, but we are also competing to win the Blue Across Rhode Island social media contest! That’s right, like and/or share our posts that contain the #BlueAcrossRI hashtag, and you will not only help us share our message, but you could also help us win funding to be used for mini-grants to the early care and education community for the purchase of outdoor supplies!
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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.
LISC Rhode Island Child Care & Early Learning Facilities Fund | 146 Clifford Street
Providence, RI 02903 |  riccelff@lisc.org  |  riccelff.org