December 2014 | An educational eNewsletter for Rhode Island-based licensed child care providers and
non-profit organizations

In This Issue

Countdown to January 12th

Happy Holidays

Congratulations to Westbay Children's Center

Westbay recently celebrated the opening of their new adventure playground. Funded in part by LISC, designed by Studio MLA and built by 4-site LLC, this playground redesign was a dramatic transformation of a previously empty space. The hill was developed on site and is covered in artificial turf that has built-in cushioning that meets safety surfacing requirements.

Supporting Play

We recently checked in on two playgrounds that were previously funded by LISC through our 2013 playgrounds initiative; East Bay Head Start in Riverside and Children's Workshop in Pawtucket. We were thrilled to see the kids having a great time outside enjoying all of the new activities on their playgrounds!

RICCFF

The Rhode Island Child Care Facilities Fund (RICCFF) is an innovative public-private partnership dedicated to expanding access to quality child care and early education in low-income communities throughout Rhode Island. Launched in 2001, the RICCFF provides the capital and technical expertise that child care centers need to improve the quality and capacity of their physical space. The Fund can provide a combination of training, technical assistance and flexible, affordable financing for a wide range of projects including minor renovations or construction of a new, state-of-the-art child care facility. Click the logo below to learn more about what the RICCFF can offer your program.

Countdown to January 12, 2015...

On January 12, 2015 the new Rhode Island Child Care and Early Learning Facilities Fund will officially launch and be open for business! The RICCELFF builds on the momentum of LISC's existing Rhode Island Child Care Facilities Fund, which has been in operation since 2001. Our newly designed child care and early learning facilities website will be live on January 12, 2015. It can be accessed from the Rhode Island LISC site at www.rilisc.org or directly by visiting www.riccelff.org. The site will offer an extensive and searchable resource library, on-line applications for funding and technical assistance, and an interactive forum that will allow you to ask questions, share ideas and engage in discussions about best practice in child care and early learning facility design.

Beginning on January 12, 2015, qualified and eligible organizations will be able to apply for capital and planning grants on-line. A total of $800,000 is currently available for facility grants. Organizations can apply for:

Planning grants in the range of $5,000 - $20,000. Planning grants can be used to pay professionals such as architects, engineers, landscape architects and playground professionals. These grants are intended to help organizations accomplish the following:

Determine the costs of a proposed project
Determine the feasibility of a proposed project
Develop a plan to prioritize needed facility improvements
Develop a plan to address health and safety issues indoors or on playgrounds

Capital grants in the range of $10,000 - $50,000. These grants can be used for actual construction/renovation work in qualified child care facilities. Priority uses for these funds include addressing licensing issues; major health and safety concerns; and barriers to moving up the quality ladder. Priority will be given to organizations serving high need children that can demonstrate an ability to complete the proposed project in a timely manner; provide matching funding; and manage a construction project that includes Davis Bacon compliance.

Beginning on January 12, 2015 the RICCELFF will also be instituting an application process for technical assistance. RICCELFF staff and consultants cannot take the place of your real estate team, but can provide substantial support as you undertake facility projects. The following are examples of the types of technical assistance the RICCELFF can provide:

Navigating the overall real estate development process
Finding and contracting with your real estate development team
Obtaining playground audits, prioritizing needs and implementing improvement plans
Conducting facility assessments, prioritizing needs and implementing improvement plans
Developing a fundraising/financing plan for your project

Stay tuned for additional information as we get closer to our "launch" date!

Happy Holidays from our Team at Rhode Island LISC!

The Rhode Island LISC team would like to thank our many supporters, partners and friends for a wonderful year. All across Rhode Island we make a difference in people's lives by providing resources that help build new affordable housing and community space, spur job creation, improve schools and child care facilities and make our streets safe. We look forward to continued progress and another prosperous year in 2015. Happy holidays!