Official State of Rhode Island website

State of Rhode Island Department of Education

RI Pre-Kindergarten

The Rhode Island Department of Education is committed to ensuring that all children begin school ready to learn, and are prepared to succeed in school as life-long learners and productive citizens. 

 

Rhode Island PreK Logo

RI Pre-K Lottery is open!

RI Pre-Kindergarten 2026-2027

Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green and the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) are proud to announce the opening of the 2026-2027 lottery for state-funded RI Pre-K programs. 

RI Pre-K, entering its 18th year, provides free, high-quality Pre-K education to over 2,800 4-year-old children in 20 communities across Rhode Island. 

“RI Pre-K sets young Rhode Islanders up for success from day one,” said Governor Dan McKee. “High-quality early learning helps children build the skills and confidence they need to thrive in school and beyond. I encourage eligible families to apply for a free seat.” 

RI Pre-K programs are awarded through a competitive grant application process that evaluates the organization’s demonstrated ability and experience to provide a high-quality early childhood education and a commitment to continued quality improvements. RI Pre-K is committed to a mixed-delivery model comprised of Head Start programs, local schools and community-based childcare providers. 

“Getting an early start in education sets up our youngest residents to thrive in the classroom and beyond,” said Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green. “We’re proud to continue to offer high-quality early learning opportunities across the state and invite families to register for the lottery.” 

As a testament to Rhode Island’s commitment to providing high quality early learning opportunities for children, Rhode Island was once again recognized as a national leader in quality Pre-K by the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).

RI Pre-K consistently meets all 10 of the NIEER quality benchmarks, ranking us as one of the nation’s top states for preschool quality standards. For more information visit the Rhode Island NIEER Yearbook. 

“This annual opportunity represents a tremendous pathway to a great start in education and the learning experience. Building the best foundation only further paves the way for additional success now and in the years ahead,” said Kimberly Merolla-Brito, director of the Rhode Island Department of Human Services. 

RI Pre-K is available to families with four-year old children living in the following 20 communities: Bristol-Warren, Central Falls, Coventry, Cranston, East Providence, Johnston, Lincoln, Middletown, Newport, North Kingstown, North Providence, Pawtucket, Portsmouth, Providence, Smithfield, Warwick, Westerly, West Warwick, and Woonsocket.  

To be eligible to attend, children must be 4 years old on or by September 1, 2026, not be eligible for kindergarten and reside in the city where they apply to RI Pre-K.

For more information on the 2026-2027 RI Pre-K Programs and the lottery application process, please visit the tabs below. 

Families may contact the RIDE Pre-K team at RIPre-K@ride.ri.gov with any questions. 

The 2026-2027 RI State Pre-K Lottery is Open

Thank you for your interest in the State RI Pre-K Lottery. The lottery is now open, and families may apply online using the link below. 

Please note that children must be 4 on or by September 1, 2026, live in the community where the RI Pre-K program is located and not be eligible for kindergarten. All applicants must have an active email address. A confirmation email and copy of the completed application will be sent to the email address listed on the application. Please retain the confirmation email for your records. 

Online applications will be accepted until 11:59 pm on Monday, June 22, 2026. 

Apply to the RI Pre-K Lottery-https://ripreklottery.ride.ri.gov/

Paper Applications

Families who would like to complete a paper application can drop it off at any RI Pre-K location.

RI Pre-K Programs in the 2026-2027 Lottery

This year's participating Pre-K programs are:

Bristol-Warren

  1. East Bay Community Action Program – 790 Main Street (401-245-2833)
  2. The Children's Workshop - 410 Child Street (401-247-2503)

Central Falls

  1. Central Falls School Department
    • Capt. Hunt Early Learning Center, 12 Kendall Street (401-727-7720)
      Applications are available on site and at Central Office: 949 Dexter Street
  2. Progreso Latino - 626 Broad Street (401-603-7098)
  3. NurturEd Early Learning Center – 43 Hawes Street (401-722-0620)
  4. The Children’s Workshop - 151 Hunt Street (401-727-4474)

Coventry

  1. CHILD, Inc. - 23 Cady Street (401-823-3228)
  2. Coventry Schools Early Childhood Department (401-397-1976)
    **Applications available at Washington Oak Elementary School, 801 Read Schoolhouse Road.
    • Blackrock Elementary, 12 LaCasa Drive

Cranston

  1. Cranston Public Schools
    • Arlington Elementary School - 155 Princess Avenue (401-270-8057)
  2. Cadence Academy - 546 Budlong Road (401-228-3317)
  3. CCAP Child Development Center - 848 Atwood Avenue (401-427-4060)
  4. Little Learners Academy
    • 950 Phenix Avenue (401-714-0088)
    • 379 Atwood Avenue (401-452-0379)

East Providence

  1. East Bay Community Action Program - 70 Turner Avenue (401-649-4233)
  2. East Providence School Department (401-270-1777)
    **Applications available at the East Providence Administration Offices, 1998 Pawtucket Avenue.
  3. The Children’s Workshop - 411 Narragansett Park Drive (401-434-1118)

Johnston

  1. Johnston Public Schools
    • Early Childhood Center - 10 Memorial Avenue (401-233-0054)
  2. Over The Rainbow - 1269 Plainfield Street (401-383-4664)

Lincoln

  1. Academy for Little Children - 6 Wake Robin Road (401-333-4222)
  2. Cadence Academy - 25 Blackstone Valley Place (401-542-9154)

Middletown

  1. East Bay Community Action Program (401-367-2001 ext. 2210)
    • Forest Avenue School: 315 Forest Avenue
    • Applications for this site can be picked up and dropped off at 8 John Chaffee Blvd.
  2. Sandpipers Early Learning Center - 31 John Clarke Road (401-848-4102)

Newport

  1. East Bay Community Action Program - 8 John Chafee Blvd. (401-367-2001)

North Kingstown

  1. Sunshine Child Development Center - 11 Iafrate Way (401-294-3510)

North Providence

  1. Tri-County Community Action Agency - 79 Waterman Avenue (401-519-1979)

Pawtucket

  1. Children’s Friend and Service - Dean Center - 13 Legion Drive (401-752-7700)
  2. NurturEd Early Learning Center – 25 Thornley Street (401-722-7000) 
  3. Heritage Park YMCA - 333 Roosevelt Avenue (401-727-7050)
  4. Pawtucket School Department
    • Fallon Memorial School - 62 Lincoln Avenue (401-729-6254)
    • Henry Winters School - 481 Broadway (401-729-6272)
    • Francis Varieur School - 489 Pleasant Street (401-729-6266)
  5. The Children's Workshop - 178 East Street (401-728-3050)

Portsmouth

  1. Countryside Children's Center - 1676 East Main Road (401-683-0991)

Providence

  1. Beautiful Beginnings
    • 700 Elmwood Avenue (401-785-8485)
    • CCRI Liston Campus - 1 Hilton Street (401-785-8485)
      **Applications for this site can be picked up and dropped off at 700 Elmwood Avenue.
  2. Children’s Friend and Service:
    • Friendship Center - 350 Point Street (401-752-7600)
    • Berkshire Center - 99 Berkshire Street (401-752-7500)
    • Hartford Center - 550 Hartford Avenue (401-752-7950)
    • Althea Center - 70 Union Avenue (401-495-3600)
  3. NurturEd Early Learning Center - 133 Delaine Street (401-228-8554)
  4. Genesis Center - 620 Potters Avenue (401-781-6110 ext. 24)
  5. Imagine Preschool - 520 Hope Street (401-298-4534 or 401-563-2728)
  6. The Grace School - 1000 Eddy Street (401-533-9247)
    • RI Pre-K Only
  7. Over the Rainbow - 50 Niantic Avenue (401-383-0068)
  8. Providence Public Schools - (401-456-9179)
    • Pleasant View Elementary School - 50 Obediah Brown Road (401-456-9325).
      • School hours are 9:05AM to 3:25PM.
    • Narducci Learning Center – 110 Paul Street (401-456-9369) 
      ** Site of Harry Kizirian RI Pre-K 2026-2027. School hours are 7:45am - 2:30pm.
    • Spaziano Elementary School – 35 Merino Street (401-456-9389)
      • School hours are 8:50am - 3:30pm
  9. Smith Hill Early Childhood Learning Center - 25 Danforth Street (401-455-3890)
  10. The Children’s Workshop - 15 Clarkson Street (401-383-9958)

Smithfield

  1. Cadence Academy - 22 Cedar Swamp Road (401-233-2828)
  2. Little Learners Academy - 440 George Washington Highway (401-373-0002)

Warwick

  1. CHILD, Inc. -
    • 849 Centerville Road (401-823-3777) (Warwick and West Warwick residents may apply)
    • 160 Draper Avenue (401-732-5200) (Warwick residents only may apply)
  2. Precious Years - 205 Hallene Road, Building C, #324 (401-738-0550)

West Warwick

  1. Academy for Little Children - 10 James P Murphy Industrial Highway (401-823-5000)

Westerly

  1. Cadence Academy - 42 Franklin Street (401-315-5544)
  2. Tri-County Community Action Agency - 34 Pond Street (401-596-7272)

Woonsocket

  1. Connecting for Children and Families - 46 Hope Street (401-766-3384)
  2. Woonsocket Head Start Child Development Association (401-769-1850)
    • Bourdon Boulevard Center - 1 Bourdon Blvd
    • Cass Park Center - 350 Newland Avenue
    • Karen Bouchard Center - 204 Warwick Street
    • Pothier Elementary School - 420 Robinson Street
  3. YWCA Rhode Island - 514 Blackstone Street (401-769-7450)

Pursuant to Article 10, Section 4 of the FY23 Enacted Budget, the RI Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, RI Department of Human Services, and the Children’s Cabinet have collaborated to develop a comprehensive expansion plan for the state’s prekindergarten program, RI Pre-K. Over the last several years, our agencies have worked together to grow RI Pre-K to over 2,800 seats across 20 Rhode Island communities through a mixed-delivery model that includes community-based childcare centers, Head Start Agencies, and Local Education Agencies. 

Thank you for your interest in becoming a RI Pre-K provider.  Future expansions of RI Pre-K depend on state funding from the RI general assembly.  There is no current RI Pre-K expansion plan for the 25-26 school year.  If you are interested in becoming a provider, please fill out the survey link below to be included in future communications about possible RI Pre-K expansion.

RI Pre-K Program Interest Form

Quality Standards

Curriculum

From the time children walk into a RI Pre-Kindergarten classroom until the time they leave, children are actively engaged in learning. Intentional teaching means that teachers apply what they know from research and best practice in the field of early childhood and intentionally plan their day to ensure that every child gets the most out of every experience. All RI Pre-K classrooms are required to utilize a RIDE-endorsed curriculum with fidelity. 

Classroom Quality

RI Pre-Kindergarten teachers are committed to continually assessing and refining their teaching practice to be the best that they can be. PreK Program classrooms use a number of tools that provide data to teachers about their classroom practices.

Child Assessment

RI Pre-Kindergarten classroom teachers implement a system of ongoing child assessment which includes observations of children, samples of children’s work, interviews with children, and interviews with parents. This information is entered into a web-based child portfolio using Teaching Strategies GOLD and is used by teachers to inform curriculum planning, to differentiate instruction for individual students and groups of students, and to ensure that children make steady progress toward learning outcomes.

Family Engagement

Family Engagement is a core component of high-quality, early education classrooms. Children do better in school when they experience a preschool curriculum that is culturally relevant and integrates elements of their own life experiences. In addition, when parents and caregivers partner with teachers and support children’s learning at home, we create the conditions that maximize outcomes for children.

Technical Paper on Setting Expectations for Rhode Island's Youngest Children: Developing High-Quality Early Learning and Development Standards [PDF, 238KB]

Quality Continuum

The Rhode Island Department of Education’s Early Childhood Programs are a part of the state’s quality continuum. The Quality Continuum for early childhood education programs begins with the foundation of DCYF licensing or Basic Education Program regulations.  As programs make quality improvements, they move up through the 1-5 BrightStars rating process. 

Full Continuum chart
Full Continuum

This project was made possible by grant number 90TP0058-02-00. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official view of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families.