Nationally, as part of the education reform effort, states and community leaders are encouraged to consult with local educators, families and community members to develop statewide standards, goals and expectations for what preschool children should know and be able to do. In Rhode Island, the education strategy holds all adults accountable for organizing resources and systems that will ensure success for all children. The number one goal of the Rhode Island Children’s Cabinet is that All Children Enter School Ready to Learn regardless of socio-economic status, home language, special health care needs or disabilities.

With early care and education being provided in a wide variety of settings and in programs governed by different regulations, the Rhode Island Departments of Education and Human Services developed a partnership and an agreement to develop early childhood standards for Rhode Island. A Steering Committee was formed consisting of the Departments of Human Services; Education; Health; Children, Youth and Families; along with the Head Start State Collaboration Project; the University of Rhode Island and Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, to collaboratively guide the Rhode Island Early Learning Standards Project in the work of establishing a set of expectations for four-year-olds as they exit preschool programs to enter kindergarten.

The Early Learning Standards were initially developed by an Early Childhood Task Force charged with creating a document that is based on current education research and practice and reflects the priorities of practitioners in Rhode Island. Task Force members included representatives of early care and education programs, Head Start, the public schools, family child care home programs, higher education and parents. The Early Learning Standards they developed reflect a shared understanding of the knowledge, skills, and dispositions that children gain through high quality early childhood experiences.

The Early Learning Standards were then piloted by a partnership of early childhood providers in five communities to ensure that the Learning Goals and Expectations were appropriate for the target preschool population. A series of professional development sessions and mentoring was provided to these communities to support the implementation of the Early Learning Standards in their programs. Feedback from the pilot participants was used to refine the standards and to design professional development to be implemented statewide.

Project leaders intend that the standards be used by early care and education practitioners, families, schools, community members and legislators to design and support a comprehensive system of high quality early childhood education programs for young children in Rhode Island leading to success in school.