We, at Children’s Friend, look forward to the start of the new school year with excitement, concern, and anticipation. As usual, we will be operating a combination of Child Care, Early Head Start, Head Start, and Pre-K classrooms. New this year, and in partnership with the Rhode Island Department of Education, we are blending and braiding funding in new and different ways to best support the kids we serve.
In one classroom we are using State Pre-K funding to convert a half-day Head Start classroom into a full-school day and full-school year Pre-K classroom. In another classroom, we are braiding State Pre-k funding and Federal Head Start funding to serve kids in a full-school day and full-school year classroom. These examples build on our previous ability to braid Head Start and Child Care funding in several of our sites to best serve our kids and families.
Braiding and blending funding is complicated and can be a tracking and paperwork hassle behind the scenes. But, it is exactly the direction we will continue to move, as it allows us to serve all kids, regardless of funding source, in the highest quality classrooms.
David Caprio, President and Chief Executive Officer