LISC and City of Providence Invests $1.5M in Child Care Facilities

The Early Learning Infrastructure Support Program, an initiative of the City of Providence in partnership with the LISC Rhode Island Child Care and Early Learning Facilities team, has invested more than $1.5M in child care facilities since August 2023. This funding was awarded to child care providers across the City to support planning for facility improvements, as well as moderate renovations to address licensing compliance, and health, safety, and quality improvements. 

“Early childhood education is a critical foundation for lifelong learning and in Providence, we understand the significant impact these experiences have on the development of our youngest neighbors,” said Providence Mayor Brett P. Smiley. “The awarded grants will support our early learning childcare providers in addressing the financial challenges brought on by COVID-19, while also enhancing the quality and safety of their facilities. By investing in these providers and offering enriching opportunities for our youngest learners, we are laying a strong foundation for their future success and ensuring that families have access to safe, high-quality childcare.”

LISC has administered this City-supported child care facilities funding through both the City of Providence Early Learning Facilities Grant Program and the current City of Providence Early Learning Infrastructure Support Program since 2020. The 2023-2024 City of Providence Early Learning Infrastructure Support Program funds were made available from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding and the City’s budget. 

Infrastructure Support Program funding was awarded to 36 licensed child care providers, including 27 licensed family child care providers, for capital improvements that addressed critical safety measures. The majority of grant awards supported home-based family child care providers, an underserved sector in the child care community. 

In the past five years, LISC has conducted several studies to inform the Rhode Island Department of Human Services’ efforts to understand child care capacity gaps. Each study revealed that nearly all communities lack sufficient quality care, with the highest demand for child care spaces in Providence County. Early childhood care and education not only support the social and educational growth of the child, but also allow parents to participate in the labor force and provide an opportunity for personal and local economies to thrive.  

Grant funding was available to licensed child care providers who completed a competitive application process. LISC received more than 100 complete applications, with requests totaling nearly $6M. Complete applications were evaluated by a review committee and scored using a rubric to guide the process. High scoring applications received a site visit prior to construction. The City of Providence made final award decisions based on the results of the committee evaluation, site visit, and review committee meeting. 

“The space used for a child care program has a direct impact on the quality of care,” said Erin Cox, AIA, Senior Program Officer at LISC Rhode Island.  “Early childhood care and education is demanding, and the space should help, not hinder that.”

The awards were designated to increase quality and address health and safety issues. For example, fencing around outdoor play space is a DHS requirement for family child care providers and quite a few providers replaced and upgraded fencing to comply with this licensing requirement. An added benefit to this type of improvement is that children have a safe, secure outdoor play space that provides access to fresh air.  

Additional awards were made for small interior renovation projects to allow children to access outdoor space more easily and to expand the area available for child care. Another small capital improvement included expansion and redesign of the floor space to accommodate additional children. Another project reconfigured bathroom facilities to provide for a place for child-sized handwashing. In total, more than $817,000 was awarded to support home-based family child care providers, with the remaining funds allocated to support center-based groups. After applicants were notified, successful grantees also received substantial technical assistance from the LISC child care team.

“Not only were providers eager to make improvements to their space through the use of this program, but there was also tremendous interest in the technical assistance opportunities,” said Cox. The LISC team offered a series of capacity building trainings to support family child care providers. This need was identified after seeing an uptick in the one-on-one specialized technical assistance requested throughout the grant application process.

As of January 1, 2023, outdoor activity space was required to be surrounded by a permanent structure such as a fence, which is at least four feet (4’) in height.

The team created capacity building cohorts, which represented 28 home-based providers. Monthly cohort meetings included additional speakers, such as the Center of Early Learning Professionals, the organization that certifies professional development programs, as well as the Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children, which manages BrightStars, the State’s Quality Rating and Improvement System.

“The application process was rigorous,” said Cox. “Many family child care providers had never taken on a construction project before and had never applied for funding — federal or otherwise— and it was clear that providers would benefit from capacity building sessions to reinforce their business skills. Technical Assistance is always an important part of our grant process and we try to offer it by meeting our providers where they are at.”

Grantees were provided bi-lingual assistance to complete federal reporting requirements consistent with participation in this grant program. All project-related expenses required prior approval and proper documentation. Projects were required to be completed by licensed and insured contractors using prevailing rates and ensure compliance with building codes and child care licensing regulations.

“It has been a great partnership with Mayor Smiley, the City of Providence, and the awarded child care providers seeking to create enriching environments for the children of Providence,” said Cox. “We know the children impacted by this program have a safe place to learn and play and we look forward to continue focusing efforts on providing equitable access to high-quality child care spaces.”