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North Providence early childhood program earns BrightStars 4 rating; leaders plan steps toward 5
Summary
District officials said both early learning centers earned a BrightStars 4 rating after a recent review. Administrators described improved assessment practices, staff-child ratios and partnerships with local early-childhood providers; they also flagged reliance on federal funding and modest state allocations.
North Providence school officials announced that both district early learning centers earned a BrightStars rating of 4, marking a substantial quality improvement that places the district close to the rating's top level.
Casey Ferrara, the district's early childhood director, said reviewers assessed learning environments, staff-child ratios, curriculum and assessment practices. "We were 1 of the first [inclusive] classrooms...to do this BrightStars rating...and we proved differently," Ferrara said. She told the committee both schools scored 4 overall and that the district submitted a small quality-improvement plan focused on minor items; Ferrara said some required professional-development re-training has already been completed.
Van Avery, director of student services, described operational changes the district implemented to support early screening and intervention, including rescreening community learners and performing trimester progress checks so teachers and special-education teams can more quickly identify needs. "I rescreened every kid this year just to make sure we weren't missing anything," Avery said.
Ferrara said the programs meet or exceed recommended staff-child ratios for three- and four-year-olds and that all teachers and principals are credentialed. She also described partnerships with local providers including Tri-County and Head Start programs to support children with special needs in community childcare settings.
Committee members asked about funding stability. Avery said BrightStars participation is federally funded through national and state early-childhood initiatives and that some state funding has been added; she reported a district figure of $23,226 to support pre-K programming from the state. Committee members urged staff to include pre-K funding scenarios in upcoming budget discussions in case federal funds change.
Administrators called the 4-star outcome "a huge testament" to teachers' and leaders' work and said they are taking concrete steps to reach a 5-star rating in a future review.
