Providence Reporter

Mayor Brett P. Smiley today joined Providence City Council Pro Tempore Juan Pichardo, Local Initiatives Support Corporation Executive Director Jeanne Cola, Beautiful Beginnings Child Care Center Executive Director Khadija Lewis-Khan, Derek Daycare Owner Elba Dorrejo Marquez, and community members to announce the City of Providence’s Early Infrastructure Support Program grantees. 

“High-quality early education can have some of the biggest impacts on the long-term outcomes of students, which is why I want every Providence family and child to have these opportunities available to them,” said Mayor Smiley. “The grants we are awarding today will help some of our early learning child care providers combat the financial impacts of COVID and improve the quality and safety of their facilities. Congratulations to all the grantees and look forward to seeing the new improvements.” 

These awards come after the City of Providence contracted Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) to administer the Early Learning Infrastructure Support Program. The program was designed to provide grants to center-based and home-based providers to improve the quality, safety, and programming of Providence early childhood care providers who serve communities who have been disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grantees were able to receive planning and feasibility grants to develop plans for space renovations as well as conduct assessments of overall suitability of spaces, address urgent health and safety conditions, help providers come into compliance with current licensing regulations, and support capital building improvements. 

“All children deserve high-quality, developmentally appropriate learning environments that are designed to keep them safe and support their development,” said Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Rhode Island Executive Director Jeanne Cola. “LISC has been providing technical assistance and funding for facility improvements for the past 25 years, and we’re proud to partner with the City on this program to support Family Child Care providers.” 

According to the KidsCount 2023 Factbook, the number of licensed family child care homes fell from 276 in 2019 to 228 in 2022. Supporting this key aspect of child care infrastructure is critical to local economies and to the support of parents. Through this program, the City and LISC awarded a total amount of $425,000 to sixteen home-based child care providers: Anadilia Home Daycare, Derek Daycare, Reyna Home Daycare, K&Y Home Daycare, Flor Home Daycare, Sagrado Corazón, Carmen Home Daycare, Daycare Estrella, Luisa Carrasco, Altagracia Home Daycare, Rishell Home Daycare, Nana’s Home Daycare, Las Avispitas, Ortiz Home Daycare, Arcoiris Home Daycare, and Camila’s Home Daycare. 

“We are extremely grateful to have been awarded a grant from the Early Learning Infrastructure Support Program in collaboration with the City of Providence and LISC” said Beautiful Beginnings Executive Director Khadija Lewis-Khan. “This grant is a tremendous support for us as it will enable us to make significant improvements to our infrastructure, which would not have been possible without this funding. We truly appreciate the opportunity provided by this grant to enhance our facilities and create a better learning environment for the children we serve.” 

Additionally, City and LISC awarded a total amount of $667,441 to eight center-based providers:  Beautiful Beginnings Child Care Center, Capital City Community Center, Meeting Street Early Learning Center, Federal Hill House Association, West Side Montessori and three Children’s Friend and Service locations. 

Original source can be found here.