December 28, 2016
A Look Back at 2016 
For more than 20 years, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT has worked with organizational partners, elected officials, state agency leaders, and community members to develop responsive policies and programs in early learning, the education system from pre-kindergarten through college, health coverage and primary health care, child welfare, juvenile justice, and economic well-being. A core part of our work is producing high-quality publications with the best available data and research. 

As we move into a brand new year, we wanted to take a moment to highlight our 2016 publications:
Policy Brief: Promoting Increased Physical Activity in Schools
Regular physical activity has been shown to improve strength and endurance, help control weight, and prevent chronic disease. It has also been shown to improve academic achievement, including grades and standardized test scores. Research also shows positive effects on the brain, including improved attention, processing, memory, and coping. 

Promoting Increased Physical Activity in Schools
provides an overview of current practices and policies regarding physical activity in Rhode Island schools (including recess and physical education), and includes recommendations for promoting increased physical activity in schools.
Student-Centered Learning Fact Sheet: Personalized Learning
Personalized Learning includes a range of instructional approaches that are designed to address the skills, knowledge, needs, interests, and aspirations of individual students. Personalized learning requires formative assessments of students' skills and knowledge so that individually-paced, targeted learning strategies can be developed to meet each student's needs and interests. 

To learn more about this principle - and how Personalized Learning takes place in Rhode Island - please click here.
The 2016 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook
In April, Rhode Island KIDS COUNT released its twenty-second annual report on the well-being of Rhode Island's children and families at a policy breakfast attended by over 500 people, including the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation, the Governor, General Assembly leaders, community leaders, and policymakers. 

The 2016 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook provides a statistical portrait of the status of Rhode Island's children and families, incorporating the best available research and data. Information is presented for the state of Rhode Island, each city and town, and an aggregate of the four core cities (cities in which more than 25% of the children live in poverty). 

The 2016 Rhode Island Kids Count Factbook tracks the progress of 71 indicators across five areas of child well-being: Family and Community, Economic Well-Being, Health, Safety, and Education.
2016 Legislative Wrap-Up

Our 2016 Legislative Wrap-Up reports on selected laws and budget appropriations affecting children in the areas of early learning, education, economic well-being, health, and safety considered in the Rhode Island General Assembly's 2016 Legislative Session. The Legislative Wrap-Up includes victories for Rhode Island children and families in the 2016 Legislative Session.

To see the full   publica tion, please click here.
Student-Centered Learning Fact Sheet: Learning Anytime, Anywhere
Student-Centered Learning recognizes that learning is flexible. Learning Anytime, Anywhere is the principle that structured, credit-bearing learning experiences can take place outside of the traditional school day, or even the school year. 

To learn more about this principle - and how Learning Anytime, Anywhere takes place in Rhode Island - please click here.
Child Welfare Fact Sheet: Focus on Young Children in the Child Welfare System
Nationally and in Rhode Island, young children are at an increased risk for child maltreatment compared with older children In 2015, children under age 6 represented 45% of all victims of child abuse and neglect in Rhode Island. Young children are especially vulnerable to the negative impacts of abuse and neglect. 

Focus on Young Children in the Child Welfare System provides data and information on child abuse and neglect, the importance of positive early experiences and evidence-based home visiting, and makes recommendations on how to improve the quality of care for all young children involved in the child welfare system.
Issue Brief: Investing in the Future - Financing Early Education & Care in Rhode Island
The first five years in a child's life are crucial to their success in school. Children begin learning at birth and brain development proceeds rapidly in early childhood. Disparities in learning based on access to enriched experiences and environments begin to appear in the first years of life and, without intervention, grow over time. 

To learn about access to and financing of high-quality early learning opportunities in Rhode Island, please see Investing in the Future: Financing Early Education & Care in Rhode Island.
Student-Centered Learning Fact Sheet: Competency-Based Learning
Student-Centered Learning recognizes that students need different supports and different amounts of time to achieve mastery of content and skills. Competency-Based Learning is an approach to learning that bases student advancement on mastery of skills and academic content, rather than age, seat time, or hours on task. 

To learn more about this principle - and how Competency-Based Learning takes place in Rhode Island - please click here.
Child Welfare Fact Sheet: Focus on Kinship Care
Kinship care is the full-time care, nurturing, and protection provided to a child by a relative or family friend. Most children living with kin are in informal arrangements established within families. 

Children can also be placed with kin by state child welfare agencies when they cannot safely live with their parent(s). For children removed from their homes because of abuse or neglect, placement in kinship foster homes is often the best option for ensuring that they are able to maintain familial and community connections and minimize the trauma of being separated from parents.  

To learn more about kinship care in Rhode Island, please see Focus on Kinship Care.
Rhode Island Health Coverage Resources
Open enrollment for health and dental coverage through HealthSource RI began November 1, 2016 and goes until January 31, 2017. To help get the word out, the Rhode Island Health Coverage Project has updated and released a Get Covered Stay Covered bilingual flyer ( English and Spanish). Information regarding open enrollment and renewal of coverage, including RIte Care and Medicaid, is provided. 

The Rhode Island Health Coverage Project is a joint initiative of the Economic Progress Institute and Rhode Island KIDS COUNT.
Issue Brief: Preventing Bullying in Rhode Island Schools
Bullying behavior is a social, educational, and health problem that affects many children and adolescents in Rhode Island and in the U.S. Youth involved in bullying can experience higher rates of mental health problems, aggression, suicide, drug use, school absence, physical health problems, and deficits in cognitive functioning during childhood and adolescence as well as into adulthood. 

For more, please see the full Issue Brief.
Child Welfare Fact Sheet: Focus on Congregate Care
Congregate care provides full-time care for children and youth in the child welfare system in the following types of settings: (a) emergency shelters, (b) hospitals, (c) semi-independent living, (d) residential treatment centers, or (e) group homes. There has been sustained national and state focus to decrease the number of children and teens living in congregate care. Between 2004 and 2013, congregate care use decreased by 37% in the U.S. and 43% in Rhode Island. However, Rhode Island had the second highest percentage of young people in congregate care (not living with families) in 2013, twice the national average.

To learn more about congregate care in Rhode Island, please see Focus on Congregate Care.
Rhode Island KIDS COUNT E-News

In 2016, we added two E-News editions: 
  • The Student-Centered Learning E-News provides updates on Student-Centered Learning practices and policies in Rhode Island.
  • The RI Campaign for Grade-Level Reading E-News focuses on issues impacting student attendance and reading proficiency in Rhode Island. 
  • We also publish a General E-News, Children's Health & Health Insurance E-News, Child Welfare & Juvenile Justice E-News, and Early Childhood/Early Learning E-News.

Please click here to sign up for the E-News edition(s)
that best match your interest!

To order hard copies of these publications, please contact us at rikids@rikidscount.org.