Professional Development Committee

Ready to Learn Providence’s Professional Development Committee, formed in 2004, works to strengthen the school readiness of Providence children by creating professional development opportunities for the city’s early-care and education providers. It also seeks to heighten awareness of Rhode Island’s Early Learning Standards and the early childhood curricula that support them.

The committee continues to attract key stakeholders in the early-care community. Representatives of state agencies (DCYF, DHS), higher education (CCRI, URI, RIC), and other significant agencies such as RIAEYC and Childspan are ongoing participants. Child-care administrators, early childhood consultants and researchers, and a state representative are also active committee members.

Recent dialogue has focused, in part, on the shifting landscape of early childhood teacher credentialing and the need for greater alignment between early education and K-16 at the state level.

Since its formation, the committee has undertaken several ambitious tasks, including:

• The alignment of Rhode Island Early Learning Standards with the Providence Public School Department’s Scope and Sequence.
• The administration of a curriculum survey at all licensed preschools, approved nursery schools and Head Start programs in Providence to determine the current use of curricula and literacy activities in their daily programming. The purpose of the survey was to determine if providers were using a core curriculum and to identify the current needs and preferences of providers.
• A national scan of high-quality early childhood curricula
• Conversations with national leaders in the field to define high-quality play and literacy experiences for early childhood programs.

Call or email Susan Zoll at 401-490-9960 or szoll@provplan.org for more information.