The Policy Committee

Ready to Learn Providence’s Policy Committee examines public policies that affect the care and education of young children in Providence.

Established in the fall of 2003 by the R2LP Governing Board, the Policy Committee includes health professionals, educators, child-care providers, parents and other representatives from the community. Its first assignment was to study the impact on the community of a state law changing the age of entry into kindergarten and the capacity of the Providence early-care system to absorb the 400 to 600 children affected by the legislation.

After gathering and analyzing data, the committee reported its findings and recommendations to the Governing Board in March 2004. Surveys to all licensed center-based and family child-care providers in Providence revealed that the early-care system did indeed have the capacity to absorb the children who would not turn 5 before the new September 1 cut-off date. (Previously, children who turned 5 before December 31 had been allowed to enter kindergarten in September. The law went into effect in the fall of 2004.)

The R2LP Governing Board reactivated the Policy Committee in February 2005 to examine four policy issues that are of increasing importance to the early-care community. These are:

• The legislation before the R.I. Senate and House of Representatives proposing the unionization of R.I. family day care providers;
• A quality rating system for early-care providers; 
• A tiered reimbursement system for child-care providers; and
• Rate reimbursement systems.

If you would like to learn more about R2LP’s Policy Committee, or if you think you might enjoy sitting on this committee, please call or e-mail Stan Kuziel at 401-490-9960 or skuziel@provplan.org.