Ready Rhode Island

Ready Rhode Island:
Angel Taveras’ Plan for Universal Pre-Kindergarten
Investing in our children, their families,
and the building blocks of economic development.
Paid for by Friends of Angel Taveras, Ava Vanech, Treasurer.

Dear Rhode Islanders,
It brings me great pleasure today to release this policy report, “Ready Rhode Island.” This report is a roadmap
for making Rhode Island a national leader in early childhood education. Specifically, this plan lays out
our vision to achieve universal pre-kindergarten for all four-year-olds throughout the State of Rhode Island.
This proposal is a building block for economic development. In fact, research has shown that prekindergarten
graduates are more likely to attend college, attain a full time job, and have health insurance
later in life. This is the first building block in a wider view of strengthening our economy, creating jobs, and
investing in people. I look forward to continuing this conversation during my campaign for Governor.
Like so many, I know firsthand the life-changing power of a transformative education. I often say that,
growing up, I went from “Head Start to Harvard University,” and I did it through the Providence public school
system. For me, it was the dedicated teachers that I had along the way – at Mary E. Fogarty Elementary
School, Roger Williams Middle School, Nathanael Greene Middle School, and Classical High School – that
made all the difference.
As Mayor of the City of Providence, I have made improving educational outcomes and ensuring that all of our
children have access to high-quality public schools my top priority. And while there is more work left to be
done, I am proud of what we have accomplished in three short years. Our plan to raise the percentage of
third graders who are proficient in reading by the end of third grade has earned Providence a designation by
the National League of Cities as an “All American City.” Providence has been named one of the 100 Best
Communities for Young People by the America’s Promise Alliance. And our work has been recognized by
many organizations, including Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Nellie Mae
Education Foundation, and even the White House. Thanks to the tireless work of many – educators, families,
and community-based organizations – Providence is moving in the right direction.
Research shows that supporting early childhood education is a direct investment in the building blocks of
long-term economic development. Universal pre-kindergarten is a critically important first-step in
strengthening Rhode Island’s cradle-to-career workforce development pipeline.
As Governor, I will fight to make sure that all of Rhode Island’s young people – regardless of their family
circumstances – have the same types of opportunities that I enjoyed. That’s a promise that starts right at the
start, with universal pre-kindergarten.
Together, I know we can make a difference for young people throughout Rhode Island.
Sincerely yours,
Mayor Angel Taveras
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1. Why Early Childhood Education?
Research has clearly documented the critically important role that
early childhood education plays in the lives of young people, in their
communities, and on important issues like workforce development
and public safety. 1
Studies show that participation in pre-kindergarten programs yield
positive effects on children’s cognitive skills – helping young
learners identify letters and pronounce words, solve problems, and
develop their vocabularies. Children who participate in prekindergarten
programs also develop important social, emotional,
and behavioral skills that help them succeed in school in later
years. 2
“The longer society waits to
intervene in the life cycle of a
disadvantaged child, the more
costly it is to remediate
disadvantage.”
-- James Heckman, University of
Chicago
Enrollment in high quality pre-kindergarten programs has economic benefits, too. A study by the
National Institutes of Health found that pre-kindergarten graduates in Chicago were more likely to
attend college, attain a full-time job, and have health insurance later in life. 3 Lifetime economic
benefits on important outcomes like educational attainment, employment, and involvement in criminal
justice and child welfare systems realized a return-on-investment of as much as $11 for each dollar
invested. 4 A study of the long-term benefits of early education in Rhode Island specifically found a
similar $8 per dollar invested return. 5
Similar studies have documented positive returns-on-investment elsewhere. For example, in evaluating
the potential impacts of a universal pre-kindergarten program in California, the RAND Corporation
estimated a positive return of $2.62 in community benefits for every $1 of investment. According to
Nobel Laureate and University of Chicago professor James J. Heckman, an investment in early childhood
education that produced a 5% increase in male high school graduation rates could save Rhode Island $6
million annually in costs associated with criminal justice alone. 6 Another study found that the program
would start paying for itself within 9 years because of all these benefits. 7
Both full-day kindergarten and high-quality pre-kindergarten are linked to positive life outcomes, future
workforce productivity, and reduced costs. It is no surprise that a recent survey conducted by Public
Opinion Strategies and Hart Research found that 89% of Americans say it is important to make early
education and child care more affordable for working families. 8 Simply put, investments in early
childhood education are among the best investments Rhode Island can make.
1 “Return on Investment: Cost vs. Benefits ” Heckman University of Chicago
2 “Kindergarten Matters ” Raj Chetty Harvard Magazine November-December 2010
3 “The First Eight Years: Giving Kids a Foundation for Lifetime Success,” The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 11/4/2013
4 “High-quality preschool program produces long-term economic payoff,” National Institute of Health, 2/4/2011
5 “Enriching Children Enriching the Nation Rhode Island Summary ” Lynch Economic Policy Institute 7/9/2007
6 “Invest in Early Childhood Development ” Heckman The Heckman Equation
7 “Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation Rhode Island Summary,” Lynch, Economic Policy Institute, 7/9/2007
8 “Early Childhood Education is a Top Priority for Voters, Second Only to Increasing Jobs and Economic Growth.”
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2. Economic Development Begins in
the Classroom
As of October of 2013, Rhode Island’s
unemployment rate remains at the unacceptably
high level of 9.2%, now the second highest rate of
unemployment in the nation. 9 Yet, according to
Census data, Rhode Islanders without a high
school diploma are up to four times more likely to
be unemployed than Rhode Islanders with a
Bachelor’s degree. 10 Similarly, Census data show
that median earnings for Rhode Islanders
possessing a Bachelor’s degree are more
than twice as high as median earnings for
Rhode Islanders who lack a high school
diploma. 11
A strong foundation in early childhood
represents an important building block
toward on-time high school graduation.
For example, children who are not
proficient in reading by the end of third
grade can be up to four times less likely to
graduate from high school on time. 12
Children from low-income families who
live in communities of concentrated
poverty who are not proficient in reading
by the end of third grade are thirty-five
percent less likely to graduate from high
school on time. 13
$80,000
$70,000
$60,000
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
$20,000
$10,000
$0
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Unemployment Rate by Education
Level: Rhode Island, 2010-2012
Less than high
school
Less than High school
high school diploma
High school
diploma
Some
college or
Associate's
degree
Some college
or Associate's
degree
Median Earnings by Education Level,
Rhode Island, 2010-2012
Bachelor's
Degree
Bachelor's
Degree or
higher
Graduate or
Professional
Degree
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Adapted from Rhode
Island KIDS COUNT Issue Brief: Improving High School Graduation Rates in Rhode
Island, November 2013
As Mayor of the City of Providence, I have maintained a strong focus on raising the percentage of third
grade students who are reading at grade level. For example, our plan to boost the school readiness of
incoming kindergarten students won the $5 million grand prize in Bloomberg Philanthropies’ inaugural
Mayor’s Challenge. Achieving universal pre-kindergarten will significantly strengthen Rhode Island’s
cradle-to-career pipeline, helping to ensure that all of Rhode Island’s young people, regardless of family
circumstance, have the opportunity to enter school ready to learn, graduate on-time, and succeed in
their chosen career.
9 Bureau of Labor Statistics, Unemployment Rates for States Monthly Rankings Seasonally Adjusted, October 2013
10 Issue Brief: Improving High School Graduation Rates in Rhode Island, November 2013
11 Issue Brief: Improving High School Graduation Rates in Rhode Island, November 2013
12 "The Vital Link: Early Childhood Investment is the First Step to High School Graduation,” ReadyNation, September 2013
13 “The Vital Link: Early Childhood Investment is the First Step to High School Graduation,” ReadyNation, September 2013
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3. Rhode Island Early Childhood Education Today
Rhode Island, like most states, maintains a publicly sponsored pre-kindergarten program. 14 Rhode
Island’s pre-kindergarten program was first launched in 2009 as a two-year demonstration project with
seven classrooms in Central Falls, Providence, Warwick, and Woonsocket. This pilot was evaluated by
the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), which found that the program “closed the
achievement gap by at least three fourths, with significant gains in children’s literacy and math
scores.” 15 According to the NIEER, Rhode Island meets all 10 benchmarks for quality standards, meaning
that our policies regarding issues like teacher certification, classroom sizes, and site monitoring are all
best-in-class. 16 In 2010, funding for pre-kindergarten was included in the state’s new Education Funding
Formula through categorical early childhood funding. The 2010 legislation included a ten-year phase-in
of the pre-kindergarten program – adding an additional $1 million per year, until reaching approximately
1,000 students by 2020.
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Percentage of eligible 4-year-olds enrolled in state prekindergarten
program (northeast states)
2010 2011 2012
Source: The State of Preschool 2012, National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), Barnett, W. Steven, Megan E.
Carolan, Jen Fitzgerald, James Squires, 2012. Rutgers Graduate School of Education. Note that New Hampshire maintains no
state pre-kindergarten program.
Rhode Island’s pre-kindergarten program is high quality, but limited in access. Only approximately 1% of
Rhode Island four-year-olds are enrolled in state-financed preschool programs 17 , compared to highs of
14 R.I. Department of Education Pre-K Program
15 “Elizabeth Burke Bryant Executive Director Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Testimony before House Finance Committee ” 3/15/2012
16 “The State of Preschool 2012,” Rhode Island, National Institute for Early Education Research, Page 121
17 “The State of Preschool 2012,” Rhode Island, National Institute for Early Education Research
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74% in Oklahoma 18 and 65% in Vermont. 19 In neighboring Massachusetts,
the percentage of four-year-olds in state-financed pre-kindergarten
programs is 14% 20 and in neighboring Connecticut that percentage is
13%. 21 Nationally, about 28% of all four-year-olds are enrolled in statefinanced
pre-kindergarten programs. 22 In fact, according to the National
Institute for Early Education Research, Rhode Island has the lowest
percentage of four-year-old children enrolled in state pre-kindergarten of
any state in the nation with a state sponsored pre-kindergarten
program. 23
Compounding these problems is a lack of access to full-day kindergarten in
Rhode Island communities. In the 2012-2013 school year, only 68% Rhode
Island’s children were enrolled in full-day kindergarten. 24 This number lags
the national average of 77%. 25
“High-quality early childhood
education programs are
among the most costeffective
educational
interventions and are likely to
be profitable investments for
society as a whole.”
--- Society for Research in
Child Development
4. The Plan
I have a three-step plan to make Rhode Island a national leader in early childhood education.
• Achieve Universal Pre-Kindergarten for all Rhode Islanders: In Fiscal Year 2014, Rhode Island spent
$2.45 million on its state-funded pre-kindergarten program for children without special needs –
serving only 252 children in 14 classrooms. 26
About 10,800 students are enrolled in public first grade 27 , and we can expect a similar number of
enrollees in Pre-K. Subtracting the number of students enrolled in Head Start 28 and Preschool
Special Education 29 implies that approximately 5,200 children can benefit from state sponsored prekindergarten.
As Governor, I will expand pre-kindergarten so that every family who wants to can send their child
to pre-kindergarten within eight years. We will start by creating slots for 2,650 children to enroll
in a high-quality, full-day pre-kindergarten program. Accounting for the percentage of Rhode
Island four-year-olds already served by another public program, Rhode Island would achieve a 76%
18 “The State of Preschool 2012,” Oklahoma, National Institute for Early Education Research
19 “Figure 1: Percent of 4-Year Olds Served in State Pre-K,” “The State of Preschool 2012,” Rhode Island, National Institute for Early Education
Research
20 “The State of Preschool 2012,” Massachusetts, National Institute for Early Education Research
21 “The State of Preschool 2012,” Connecticut, National Institute for Early Education Research
22 “The State of Preschool 2012,” United States, National Institute for Early Education Research
23 “The State of Preschool 2011,” National Institute for Early Education Research Based on 2010-2011 data.
24 “2013 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT ” Kids Count. Note that this number excludes children enrolled in private kindergarten programs.
25 “2013 Rhode Island KIDS COUNT ” Kids Count. Note that this number excludes children enrolled in private kindergarten programs.
26 “Elizabeth Burke Bryant, Executive Director Rhode Island KIDS COUNT Testimony before House Finance Committee,” 3/15/2012
27 “October Enrollment 2013-2014 ” Rhode Island Department of Education
28 “Head Start Program Facts Fiscal Year 2012,” Department of Health & Human Services, FY2012
29 Issue Brief: Young Children with Developmental Delays & Disabilities
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pre-kindergarten enrollment rate, among the highest in the nation. 30 Communities with a high
proportion of children eligible for free and reduced priced lunch will receive a preference in the
accelerated phase-in of this plan.
• Maintain focus on high-quality standards: As noted above, Rhode Island maintains the highest
quality standards for pre-kindergarten programming. In fact, Rhode Island was one of only four
states nationally to meet all quality standards in NIEER’s 2012 State of Pre-school Report. 31 Moving
forward, we must not sacrifice quality programming for greater access. Ready Rhode Island will
ensure that state pre-kindergarten teachers maintain a bachelor’s degree with an early childhood
teaching certificate, that classroom ratios are no higher than 18 students per teacher, and that prekindergarten
sites remain regularly monitored by content experts.
• Achieve statewide full-day kindergarten: Full-day kindergarten gives educators more time to
introduce young people to key concepts in mathematics, science and literacy. It also gives working
families peace of mind and flexibility with childcare during the working day. Yet today, students
across our state, from Barrington to Woonsocket, lack access to full day kindergarten. As Governor,
I will ensure that the Full-Day Kindergarten Accessibility Act is fully funded, allowing for one-time
planning and implementation grants to all Rhode Island school districts transitioning to full-day
kindergarten. 32 Research has demonstrated that transitioning to full-day kindergarten can save
districts millions of dollars in reducing the costs of students who repeat grades. 33 As Governor, I will
ensure that Rhode Island joins states like Delaware and Maryland in ensuring that all children have
access to full-day kindergarten.
5. Paying for Ready Rhode Island
As Mayor of Providence I have demonstrated that I know how to set priorities and make tough budget
decisions. Together we have eliminated a $110 million structural budget deficit in Providence 34 and
turned it into a surplus. 35 While Rhode Island too faces a difficult budget situation, I am confident that
by applying the same discipline we did in Providence we will find the resources needed for universal prekindergarten.
FY 2016 FY 2017 FY 2018 FY 2019
Pre-Kindergarten Seats 700 1,350 2,000 2,650
Estimated Cost 36 $6,510,000 $12,555,000 $18,600,000 $24,645,000
Investments in early childhood education are investments that pay for themselves over time. A study by
the Economic Policy Institute found that a voluntary, universal pre-kindergarten program in Rhode
30 “The State of Preschool 2011 ” National Institute for Early Education Research Based on 2010-2011 data.
31 “The State of Preschool 2012,” United States, National Institute for Early Education Research
32 “Issue Brief: Improving Access to High-Quality Early Learning Programs in Rhode Island”
33 Study: Full-Day Kindergarten Boosts Academic Performance ” Education Week.
34 “Providence faces $180M deficit this year and next,” Associated Press State and Local Wire, 3/2/2011
35 “Providence back in the black: Officials project slight surplus,” Smith, Providence Journal, 11/9/2013
36 Based on $9,300/pupil funding.
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Island would pay for itself in less than ten years and would generate benefits of $8 dollars for each dollar
invested. Economist James J. Heckman, as noted earlier, has
estimated that an investment in early childhood education that
produced a 5% increase in male high school graduation rates could
save Rhode Island $6 million annually in costs associated with criminal
justice alone. 37
The cost of this proposal constitutes less than 1% of the Rhode Island’s
current spending on education, and less than half of one percent of
total state spending.
The cost of this proposal
constitutes less than 1% of
Rhode Island’s current
spending on education, and
less than half of one percent
of total state spending.
To offset the costs of the expansion of both full-day kindergarten and universal pre-kindergarten, my
administration:
• Will partner with individual school districts willing to commit existing Federal Title 1 dollars to
these early childhood programs.
• Will aggressively seek federal and private foundation funding for this critical initiative: the
recently proposed Strong Start for America’s Children Act of 2013, for example, would establish
America’s first federal formula for locally provided high-quality, pre-kindergarten.
• Will reduce the number of young people at the Rhode Island Training School and invest in costeffective
alternative treatments like Drug Courts that are proven to reduce crime and save
millions. 38
I am confident from my experience as Mayor of Providence that as Governor, I will be able to identify
the savings and efficiencies necessary to allow us to reallocate existing resources to important
investments like early childhood education. For example-
• The state of Rhode Island spends tens of millions of dollars a year on personnel overtime costs, a
large portion of which occurs at state hospitals and prisons. 39 As Mayor, I know that overtime
costs can be a penny wise and a pound foolish. My administration will reduce overtime costs
through smarter, more streamlined staffing strategies at state institutions.
• My administration will competitively bid contracts for vehicle fleet maintenance, an overdue
reform that has the potential to save Rhode Island millions of dollars.
37 “Invest in Early Childhood Development ” Heckman The Heckman Equation
38 Drug Courts: Saving Money, Cutting Crime, Serving Veterans” National Association of Drug Court Professionals
39 “Social programs, overtime pushing R.I. beyond its budget,” Providence Journal, November, 2013.
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6. The Bottom Line
Research has demonstrated the life-changing power of high-quality early education programming. We
need to be committed to the priority of investing in our young people. In addition, this program will
make Rhode Island more competitive when the state is attracting employers to relocate. Quality of life
and education are two of the most important factors companies consider when deciding where to
relocate.
Moreover, educating our children earlier with high quality standards will pay dividends in our economic
future. This investment will help create a more diverse, robust, vibrant, and equitable economic future
for all Rhode Islanders. Our state government can effectively invest in Rhode Island families.
Yet while Rhode Island maintains a high-quality state pre-kindergarten program, access is limited to a
lucky few. As Governor, I will achieve universal pre-kindergarten in our state, serving half of all eligible
children by the end of my first term in office. We won’t sacrifice quality, and we will expand full-day
kindergarten at the same time.
Together, we can make a difference for young people throughout our State.
www.Angel2014.com
401-862-3854
PO Box 2533
Providence, RI 02906
Angel@Angel2014.com
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