Doulas Help Rhode Island Moms RIght from the Start
Racial discrimination and implicit bias result in unequal treatment of black women in the medical system. In Rhode Island, black women are 42% more likely to experience a severe complication at delivery than white women and the infant mortality rate for black infants is three times that of white infants. That’s unacceptable. A key strategy […]
RIght from the Start shares recommendations to improve child care & early learning with Biden transition team
The RIght from the Start campaign has shared a series of recommendations (see full letter) on how to improve child care & early learning programs with President-Elect Joe Biden’s transition team: Prioritize robust funding for core early childhood programs in any COVID relief package and in President-Elect Biden’s budgets, particularly his first budget. The biggest challenge […]
How our RIght from the Start priorities fared in the FY21 budget
Summary: The Rhode Island State Fiscal Year 2021 budget which runs from July 1, 2020-June 30, 2021 was passed by the House Finance Committee on December 9, 2020. The budget proposal is scheduled for a vote by the full House and Senate on December 16, 2020. Overall, the budget proposed by House Finance provides level funding of […]
RIght from the Start urges Senators Reed and Whitehouse to include at least $10 billion to stabilize child care in second stimulus
As Congress continues to work on a second COVID stimulus package, the RIght from the Start campaign recently wrote to Rhode Island Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse urging them to include at least a $10 billion investment to stabilize our nation’s critical child care sector: Now, more than ever, children are in need of […]
RIght from the Start urges Department of Health to share data about about COVID-19 cases in child care programs and to prioritize voluntary COVID-19 vaccinations for early childhood workforce
The RIght from the Start campaign recently wrote to Rhode Island Department of Health Director Nicole Alexander-Scott urging her to share more data about COVID-19 cases in licensed child care and early learning programs and to prioritize voluntary COVID-19 vaccination availability for our state’s early childhood workforce. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Raimondo, RIDOH, […]
RIght from the Start shares recommendations for Rhode Island’s 2020-2023 Early Childhood Care and Education Strategic Plan
The RIght from the Start campaign recently shared a letter with Governor Raimondo’s office on recommendations to improve Rhode Island’s 2020-2023 Early Childhood Care and Education Strategic Plan, a key part of the state’s Preschool Development Birth through Five (PDG B-5) federal grant. Read the full letter here.
Providence Business News Commentary: Threat to child care sector is far-reaching
The Providence Business News has published a powerful commentary piece, “Threat to child care sector is far-reaching,” by Dr. Pamela High and Anna Aizer of Brown University on the critical need for our state and federal leaders to invest in child care. To ensure that our child care sector survives to support Rhode Island’s working […]
Worthy Wages for Our Early Educators!
Despite their critical role in child learning and development, Rhode Island’s early educators are among the lowest paid workers in the state, making on average about $12 per hour. It’s time to ensure wages of frontline staff exposed to the virus are above poverty level, and educators that have early childhood credentials, degrees, and demonstrate […]
Infographic: Rhode Island Child Care in the Time of COVID
Quality, affordable child care was out of reach for too many Rhode Island parents who needed it before the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more state and federal stimulus funding is desperately needed to ensure our child care providers can operate safely, our frontline essential worker early educators receive worthy wages, and our working families have access […]
RIght from the Start Video: Home Visiting Is A Lifeline
Parenting is hard and families can use extra help nurturing their babies and setting them up for a healthy life. Rhode Island has a strong network of voluntary, evidence-based home visiting prevention programs that help guide parents during these critical early years when a child’s brain is rapidly developing and laying the foundation for future […]