On September 16 the R2LP Preschool Classroom at CCRI/Liston Campus will open as one of seven sites in Rhode Island's Pre-Kindergarten
Demonstration Project. Eighteen four-year-olds, chosen by lottery, will attend
the R2LP program through the school year.
The R.I. Department of Education is overseeing the pilot
program, which is designed to close what education officials call "a
preparation gap" that handicaps many children when they enter
kindergarten. Two experienced preschool teachers and two members of R2LP's
AmeriCorps team (one full-time and the other part-time) will staff the R2LP
classroom.
The seven demonstration classrooms will adhere to 10
national benchmarks that help to ensure quality, such as teacher credentials,
class size, staff-to-child ratios and health screening. The National Institute
for Early Education Research will measure the gains the students have made in
language, literacy, early mathematics, and social and emotional development,
and will report the results publicly.
The program, which runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., is free.
Extended child care will be provided, but parents are responsible for that
cost.
In August, R2LP learned that its classroom had received four
stars from BrightStars, the state's new Quality Rating and Improvement System.
(Top) A student in last year's class plays in the block center. (Above) Staff for this year's pre-kindergarten classroom take a break while cleaning and organizing the room in preparation for opening day. L-r: Samantha McCormack (teacher), Patricia Castillo (AmeriCorps member) and Bethany Carpenter (teacher).
