GRANTEE ABSTRACT 

Rhode Island
 

Overview 

As one of only four state preschool programs in 

the country that meets or exceeds the nation’s 

highest quality benchmarks as measured by the 

National Institute for Early Education Research 

(NIEER), the Rhode Island Pre-Kindergarten 

Program (RI Pre-K) is a model of high quality 

preschool programming both within Rhode 

Island and nationally. The state’s long-standing 

efforts to create a coordinated early childhood 

system have positioned Rhode Island to use 

the federal Preschool Development Expansion 

Grant resources to significantly increase 

enrollment of four-year-olds in Pre-K in seven 

High-Need Communities and to enhance the 

existing state Pre-K infrastructure to support 

this expansion. Rhode Island’s Pre-K Program 

uses a mixed delivery system that includes 

public schools, Head Start programs and 

community-based child care programs. 

The state is recognized as a national leader 

because it requires and supports all state 

funded Pre-K classrooms to achieve the same 

high-quality standards, regardless of setting. 

Rhode Island’s Pre-K program already meets 

the federal requirements and is funded with 

sufficient resources to meet national quality 

benchmarks. The Rhode Island Pre-K program 

was recognized as one of only 15 in the U.S. to 

have adequate funding to meet national quality 

standards. Through a combination of highquality design, comprehensive program 

Lead Agency 

Rhode Island Department of Elementary and 

Secondary Education 

Year 1 Federal Award Amount 

$2,290,840 

Plan Period 

January 1, 2015 – December 31, 2018 

Preschool Development Grants will support 

states to build, develop, and expand voluntary, 

high-quality preschool programs for children from 

low- and moderate-income families. 

There are two types of grants. 

Development Grants are for states that 

currently serve less than 10 percent of fouryear-olds and have not received a Race to the 

Top – Early Learning Challenge (RTT-ELC) 

grant. 

Expansion Grants are for states that currently 

serve 10 percent or more of four-year-olds or 

have received an RTT-ELC grant. 

regulations and policies, a competitive selection 

process, regular monitoring, comprehensive 

supports, and ongoing external program 

evaluation, Rhode Island actualizes its 

commitment to a High Quality State Pre-K 

Program. 

Project Objectives and Activities 

Rhode Island proposes to use federal 

Preschool Development Expansion Grant 

dollars to: 

•	 Expand access to the high quality 

Rhode Island Pre-K Program by both 

accelerating the existing state expansion 

plan and leveraging the federal dollars 

This abstract was submitted as part of Rhode Island’s Preschool Development Grant Application. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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EXPANSION GRANTEE: RHODE ISLAND
 

to achieve increased access for Eligible 

Children in seven high-need 

communities that have more than 50% 

of children enrolled in Free and Reduced 

Price Lunch: Providence, Pawtucket, 

Woonsocket, West Warwick, Newport, 

Central Falls and East Providence, and 

•	 Improve upon the state processes and 

supports that ensure the quality 

implementation of the program, including 

attention to increasing monitoring 

capacity, technical assistance to 

program sites and the implementation of 

a rigorous program evaluation. 

Rhode Island’s achievable and ambitious 

plan is designed to expand access to the 

Rhode Island Pre-K Program from the 

existing 17 classrooms in school year 2014-

15 to 60 classrooms in school year 2019-20. 

Over four years, the federal expansion grant 

plan proposed will enable 1,548 more four 

year-olds to be enrolled in new State Pre-K 

slots than would have been possible without 

the federal grant. This funding opportunity 

will allow New York to implement our most 

progressive high-quality approaches to PreK and then supplement programs with 

innovations to strengthen the quality and 

capacity of our programs, parent 

engagement, school-community 

partnerships, and State partners focused on 

early education. 

Central Falls Providence 

East Providence West Warwick 

Newport Woonsocket 

Pawtucket 

High Need Communities to be served 

under Rhode Island’s Plan 

This abstract was submitted as part of Rhode Island’s Preschool Development Grant Application. 

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