LISC RI Child Care and Early Learning Facilities Fund Technical Assistance
Expanding or renovating child care spaces can seem like a daunting task when faced with building codes, licensing requirements, best practices for design that supports teachers, children, and families, and financing hurdles, but seeking out someone to help navigate those challenges can provide the support you need to implement a successful project.

The LISC team provides technical assistance and resources on all aspects of child care facility design and development. Click here to read about two child care programs who partnered with LISC on their facilities projects.

Request for Qualifications
Early Childhood Environment Consultant
LISC's technical assistance work is supported by a team of well-qualified consultants who understand the highly specialized nature of child care environments. We are currently seeking to grow that team of experienced professionals to work with center-based and home-based child care providers across Rhode Island over the next one to three years.

Qualified individuals will have background, knowledge, and expertise in children's environments including utilization of tools such as the ECERS and ITERS, child care licensing regulations, RI Early Learning Standards, and National Public Playground Safety Standards. Consultants will assist RICCELFF staff as a first line of expertise in helping to make recommendations as to short-term and longer range fixes to improve the health, safety and overall quality of spaces. Would you or someone you know be a good fit? Read more in the request for qualifications by clicking the button below!
Fencing and Barriers
Despite Punxsutawney Phil's recent Groundhog Day predictions, spring really is just around the corner and you may be planning for some upcoming outdoor play space improvements.

One need we often see is around repair or installation of safe, secure fencing that meets licensing regulations and quality standards. Why is this an important consideration? Fences and barriers are often used to safely contain playground users, prevent children from wandering into dangerous areas, provide separation between conflicting uses, and keep areas safe from vehicular intrusion. The improper selection, placement, or erection of fencing or barriers can actually create a safety hazard for children utilizing a play area and potentially reduce the effectiveness of their intended purpose. Appropriate fence height is required by licensing authorities, and many current child care and early learning rating systems evaluate the proper use of barriers and fencing in and around play areas.

If you are seeking out contractors to provide estimates for a fencing project to safely secure the outdoor space at your child care facility, we highly recommend you ask them to review this Fencing and Barriers Fast Facts document prior to giving you a quote.
The National Children’s Facilities Network (NCFN), a coalition of Community Development Financial Institutions (including LISC), financial and technical assistance intermediaries, and early care and education (ECE) stakeholders dedicated to helping ECE providers develop high-quality physical learning environments, recently released a third piece in the thought leadership series, Making Space: Leading Perspectives on Child Care Facilities.

If you are interested in exploring the importance of high-quality child care facilities, challenges to and opportunities for financing and accessing vital child care infrastructure, and achieving innovative solutions to increase the quality and affordability of child care facilities, please visit the NCFN website to learn more and join their mailing list.
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.
Building Solutions for Rhode Island’s Children