News from the RICCELFF
City of Providence
Early Learning Facilities Grant
Wave 2 Application Open!
The online application for Wave 2 of the City of Providence Early Learning Facilities grant is now open!
 
Recognizing the need for increased access to high-quality early learning programming and the key role facilities play in shaping the availability and quality of services, City of Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza has partnered with LISC for a second year to offer facility improvement grants to child care providers for the planning and renovation of physical space.

Grants are available in the following categories:
  • Facilities Planning
  • Facilities Renovation and/or Construction

Facilities improvements can be made to either indoor or outdoor spaces. Eligible organizations are licensed child care and early learning providers located in the City of Providence. A total of $315,000 of funding, made available by the Mayor Elorza, is available for providers serving infant through pre-kindergarten aged children.* Organizations must serve high-needs children and must be actively engaged in the BrightStars process in order to be eligible for these grants. If your center does not serve any high-needs children and if you are not active in BrightStars, you are not eligible for this grant.

*There is also a small, competitive pool of private funding, made available by LISC, accessible for licensed school age child care facilities who serve a substantial percentage of DHS subsidized children and are actively engaged in the BrightStars process.

Priority areas for this funding include:
  • Addressing major health and safety concerns
  • Providing support to programs working to make facility changes that enable them to maintain state licensure
  • Providing support to programs working to improve the overall quality of their center
  • Providing support to programs with a need to expand their space, especially for those looking to expand preschool and pre-K capacity
  • Providing support to programs requiring facility assessment and/or design plans for space improvements
Planning and/or Capital Grants will be due by August 31st with award notification by September 24th.
To learn more about this grant opportunity for Providence-based child care providers we have developed and recorded an informational session in both English and Spanish that you can review at your leisure.
Report to the Community:
Wave 1 City of Providence
Early Learning Facilities Grant
LISC RI, in partnership with City of Providence Mayor Jorge O. Elorza, administered the first year of the City of Providence Early Learning Facilities Grants, providing $610,900 in facility improvement grants to Providence-based child care providers for the planning and renovation of physical space during the period of July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021.

Our below report is a summary of the program and the impact of that investment!
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.
Building Solutions for Rhode Island’s Children