Early Childhood Education Resources

Below are resources about programs, standards, and professional development for early childhood education.

Licensing

• DCYF Licensing and Programs:  To begin the licensing process with DCYF, please visit their website.
• RIDE: Evaluation of Credential Request

Policies and Guidance

• ADA Guidance: The publication Commonly Asked Questions about Child Care Centers and The Americans with Disabilities Act is available through the Department of Justice.
• Handbook of Public Playground Safety: The Handbook of Public Safety is a Consumer Products Safety Commission document available to be downloaded for free.  
• Safe Water Drinking Act

Standards and Rating Systems

• RI Early Learning and Development Standards
• BrightStars: BrightStars is Rhode Island’s Quality Rating and Improvement System (QRIS). QRIS initiatives exist in many states across the country, and although each state model is unique, all QRIS programs are designed to rate the quality or level of a child care program, identify areas for improvement, inform families about levels of quality, and target quality improvement resources.
• Caring for Our Children: The National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education publishes Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Out-of-Home Child Care, 2nd Edition as a FREE downloadable copy.
• Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS): The Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) is a system for observing and assessing the quality of interactions between teachers and students in classrooms.
• The Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS)

Professional Development Resources

• CCRI Child Care Apprenticeship Program
• CDA Information: Council for Professional Recognition
• Center for Early Learning Professionals
• Rhode Island Technical Assistance Project
• Teacher Assistant Training

General

• RI Early Learning Council
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC): The NAEYC is the nation's largest early childhood professional membership association for early childhood educators. NAEYC sponsors a variety of training including an annual conference; published the journal "Young Children", and various resource materials; advocated related to national, state, and local public policy; provides a variety of documents on effective practice related to young children; and operates an accreditation system designed to improve the quality of care and education provided for young children in group programs.
• Rhode Island Red Cross
• LISC: LISC operates The Rhode Island Child Care Facilities Funds, which provides the capital and technical expertise that child care programs need to improve the quality and capacity of their physical space. The Fund assists licensed child care centers and homes that are committed to providing high quality care and to serving low-income children eligible for DHS subsidies from infancy through school-age years.