Ready to Learn Providence

The 18 children in the Ready to Learn Pre-kindergarten Classroom (CCRI/Liston Campus) traveled to the Statehouse this morning to give the governor copies of Places to Play in Rhode Island, a book that they and 118 other preschoolers authored and illustrated.

Gov. Lincoln Chafee said he will keep copies of this valuable guidebook in his office to give to out-of-state visitors. To see pictures from the visit, click here.

The book, which you can read by clicking the box at right, made its official debut at McCoy Stadium on Sunday, June 2. Because one of the objectives of the Places to Play project is to make the learning of our young children more visible, 1,500 copies of the 20-page book were distributed at the ballpark. The young contributors received a big cheer from the crowd when they took to the field to yell “Play ball!” (For pictures from the game, click here.)

Places to Play in Rhode Island highlights the drawings and recommendations of 31 children, but 136 preschoolers from centers and home child-care settings participated in the project (all of whom are recognized on the back cover). Their teachers and providers attended a seven-session course at Ready to Learn Providence, where they explored the best ways to help children exchange ideas with their classmates, evaluate the suggestions they receive, and perhaps incorporate them in subsequent drafts of their work.

The recommended places to play range from well-known attractions, such as Roger Williams Park and the Providence Children’s Museum, to hidden gems the children have discovered in their own neighborhoods. At least two children give the Discovery Room at the Providence Public Library high ratings, even though it’s “a quiet place to play.”

The Places to Play professional development project is a collaboration of Ready to Learn Providence and Making Learning Visible (MLV), a project out of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. It was inspired by the highly regarded educational practices developed in the preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Facilitators Ben Mardell (MLV), Bethany Carpenter and Sue Sevegny (both from R2LP) conducted the classes and visited the sites of the 22 preschool educators participating in the project.

For more information on our Places to Play initiative, click here.

Funding for this project came from BrightStars, the R.I. Child Care Resource and Referral Center, and the United Way of Rhode Island.