News from the Rhode Island Child Care and Early Learning Facilities Fund

February eNEWS

Update on the Outdoor Play Interventions Pilot Project (OPIPP)

In December we selected three very different sites to participate in our outdoor pilot project focusing on increasing play value with small investments, volunteers, and thoughtful design (see our original RFP to learn more about the project here). Site visits were conducted this month with the design team and ideas are starting to flow. We are excited to introduce the following three participants at their “before” stage and hope you continue to follow the project throughout the spring!

Children’s Friend – Hartford Avenue: This Providence-based center is passionate about gardening but is fenced-in with only asphalt surfacing, some planter boxes, and undesignated open space for free play.

Jamestown Early Learning Center:  This center, located in Jamestown, has already rectified a number of safety hazards by eliminating large climbing equipment and removing years of degraded mulch. They would love to focus more on a natural play but need help better utilizing the newly acquired open space.

Westbay Children’s Center: While there is plenty of space for the new toddler program at this Warwick center, there is a limited variety of play and materials for the children.

While these three sites are very unique they share equally in the need to offer more valuable play opportunities for Rhode Island’s children. We appreciate their enthusiastic commitment and we hope as this project continues you are also inspired to make some quality changes to your space!

Infant/Toddler Corner

A first defense in safeguarding infant and toddler health is to create and maintain a healthy environment and reduce the number of contaminants in the spaces where children spend their time. Check out this article, Creating Healthy, Sustainable Infant and Toddler Environments, by Vicki L. Stoecklin, M.S. Ed., to better understand the considerations for generating a healthier infant/toddler environment.

Learn More

What’s New in Health and Safety – Proposed Changes to the Child Care Center and School Age Program Regulations for Licensure

As you may already be aware, DCYF is in the process of updating the current Child Care Program Regulations for Licensure and even though the initial timeframe for comment is over, there will still be time to formally comment during promulgation, when the changes will officially be announced. DCYF will be submitting a final copy of the regulations to the Office of Regulatory Reform and once that review is complete, the regulations will be submitted to the Secretary of State to begin the formal process, which includes a recognized 30-day comment period and access to additional guidance on the regulations. If you haven’t had the chance to review the proposed regulations, they can be found here.

Building a Better Business – Small Scale Fundraising

A few months ago we talked about developing a strategy for funding large-scale projects by starting a capital campaign –an organized effort to raise a substantial amount of one-time funding to cover the costs of a building project. If you’re not quite ready for a capital campaign, but still need some funding for modest improvements to your space, the following links help identify strategies for fundraising at a smaller level. Fund-Raising Ideas for a Preschool Classroom Fifteen Ideas for Fundraising Fun Fundraising Ideas for a Child Care Program Remember, if you ever need any help discussing future renovation projects for your site let us know and be sure to apply to us for Technical Assistance.

Have you missed any of our previous eNEWS or want to reference something you saw in an article from the past? Our entire eNEWS catalog is available on our website. Be sure to check it out here!

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About RICCELFF 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.

LISC Rhode Island Child Care & Early Learning Facilities Fund  |  146 Clifford Street Providence, RI 02903 |  riccelff@lisc.org | riccelff.org