As Governor Dan McKee’s administration crafts the FY 2027 state budget, RIght from the Start is calling for critical investments to help ensure all babies and young children get off to the right start in life, regardless of family income, race, ethnicity, immigration status, or zip code. These budget priorities include:
Early Care & Education
- Increase Child Care Assistance Program Rates (DHS): As the state minimum wage increases, increase provider rates for the RI Child Care Assistance Program to the federal equal access benchmark (75th percentile of the 2024 Rhode Island Child Care Market Rate Survey) using general revenue or available federal funds.
- Invest in RI Pre-K and Head Start with 30% for Infants/Toddlers (RIDE & DHS): Invest $2.1 million to preserve and expand access to free, high-quality public preschool options for three- and four-year-olds (Head Start & RI Pre-K) and $900,000 to promote access to high-quality infant and toddler early care and education.
Health & Development
- Fund Family Home Visiting (DOH and EOHHS): Invest at least $535,000 to meet the state match needed to receive $1.6 million in additional federal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting funds. And fully fund the RI Office of the Health Commissioner’s recommended Medicaid rate increase for Family Home Visiting programs.
- Increase Early Intervention Rates (EOHHS): Fully fund the RI Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner’s recommended Medicaid rate increases for Early Intervention services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities.
- Increase Pediatric Primary Care Rates (EOHHS): Address the pediatric primary care shortage by providing a 10% Medicaid rate increase while the comprehensive rate review is underway.
Family Economic Security
- Expand Family Tax Credits (DOR): Increase Rhode Island’s refundable Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for low- and moderate-income working families to 20% of the federal credit and/or establish a permanent Child Tax Credit of $250/child.
- Raise General Revenue (DOR): Pass Revenue for Rhode Islanders, increasing taxes on high earners in the state to generate state revenue needed to shore up health care, food, and child care systems and put more money in the pockets of families with young children.
Click here to read our full FY 2027 state budget priorities letter to Governor McKee. If your organization would like to sign onto this letter, please email lbarrett@rikidscount.org by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 10th. RIght from the Start will share the final letter with the Governor and post it at rightfromthestartri.org.
