The R2LP Early Learning Center at CCRI

Activity centers – including art corners, reading nooks, science tables, floor space for blocks, and a theater for dramatic play – fill the R2LP Pre-kindergarten classroom at CCRI on the Liston Campus.  During the “free choice” period, 18 four-year-olds eagerly engage in these centers, unaware of the many early literacy, math and science skills they are mastering while at play.

The Pre-kindergarten Classroom is the only program in which R2LP offers services directly to young children. The classroom opened in October 2008, and for the past three years has participated in the state’s Pre-kindergarten Project, a pilot program designed to demonstrate the value of high-quality early care and education. Children are chosen by lottery, and the program is offered at no cost to parents.

An experienced teacher and assistant teacher, assisted by two R2LP AmeriCorps members, staff the R2LP classroom. In 2010, BrightStars, the state’s quality rating and improvement system, awarded the program five stars, its highest ranking.

The R.I. Department of Education funds the participating Pre-K sites on a yearly basis. If the R2LP classroom is funded for the 2012/2013 school year, we will post applications for the lottery – which is usually held in August – on this website, Facebook and other media. We encourage all parents to enter the lottery, but they must be residents of Providence to qualify for the R2LP classroom. Children must turn 4 by September 1.

For more information on the R2LP classroom, please contact Christine Chiacu-Forsythe at R2LP, either by phone, 401.490.9960, or by email ccforsythe@provplan.org.