OPENING SOON!!!

ELC of RI is opening our new Saunderstown/North Kingstown Daycare with mini farm on a limited enrollment on December 2022.

2299 Tower Hill Road, Saunderstown, RI 02874. This limited opening is due to final approval of the state, and limited availability of qualified teachers in the current public work force.

ELC work crews have finished the installments and renovations of our East Greenwich center playgrounds.

The Early Learning Centers of Rhode Island

(Barrington, East Providence, Rumford, East Greenwich, and Coventry centers)

COVID-19 Protocols = Open and operating

No parents, or visitors are allowed access into the center. Tours, repairs, deliveries, maintenance needs within the building will be conducted outside or before/after hours. ELC of RI teachers, staff, children, and state inspectors will be the only persons within the building during operation hours.

All adult persons are required to remain apart, although masks are not required for drop off and pick up on the grounds of the centers.

Drop-off and pick-up procedures/social distancing guidelines, and screening, families, and children upon arrival:

"Parking area teacher assisted drop off and pickup" are in effect. Parents will call 10 minutes ahead to the ELC of RI centers before arriving at the centers for student drop off or pick up. For drop off, parents will bring their children to the door, and teachers will take transition over at the door. For pick up, parents may wait at the external daycare door and ELC of RI staff will bring your child, and their belongings out to you to conduct a turn over.

Cleaning and sanitation protocols in adherence to CDC guidelines:

The floors of the centers will be cleaned with diluted chlorine bleach. Table tops, light switches, and objects to be handled will be disinfected with a Lysol alternative which is 99.9 percent effective on eliminating bacteria and viruses. The Lysol alternative is child and pet safe. The cleaning of the centers will be conducted throughout the day, and during closing of the centers at night. Surfaces to clean include table tops, doorknobs, light switches, counter tops, handles, cubbies, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets/sinks (Again, all objects touched by hand will be cleaned and disinfected with the Lysol alternative spray.) Outdoor play areas/playgrounds will also be cleaned and disinfected with the Lysol alternative between usage by different groups/classrooms.

General illness policy:

Per CDC and DCYF/DHS guidelines, any staff member, parent, family member, or student showing signs of cough, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, fever, chills, muscle pain, sore throat, and loss of taste or smell should remain or return home. All persons arriving at ELC of RI centers as stated previously, will be screened with health questions and allow their temperature to be taken using a digital non-contact thermometer.  Any staff or child with a temperature of 100.4 will need to remain home or, or be sent home, and quarantine for a minimum of 72 hours. DCYF, DCYF, and the health department will be monitoring and provided all updates concerning the health and well being of our children and staff.

Hand washing guidelines for staff & children:

Staff members will first use hand sanitizing lotion upon arrival at the center in the entry way. Hand washing using antibacterial soap by staff members will also be completed after entering the facility checking in for work. Staff members will wash their before and after preparing food and drinks for children, and after assisting children with bathroom use or changing of diapers. During these tasks, staff will don a new set of disposable gloves after washing their hands. This practices were already in use, but this is being stated for clarity to parents and government agencies. Teachers will also set countdown timers in an effort to track times children and teachers in a room wash their hands. Children will wash their hands before and after meals, and after use of the rest rooms.

Children will be encouraged to hand sanitize their hands upon arrival at the center, and also encouraged to wash their hands with antibacterial soap after they store their belongings. Children will

Staffing plan/protocol for monitoring staff absenteeism:

ELC of RI staff will remain with the same classroom each day and be replaced by the same follow on teachers each day.

Any staff member feeling sick will remain home and report symptoms as soon as they present themselves. This teacher will be replaced by the teacher scheduled earlier or later in that room. Moving teachers from one group to another group is discouraged, and will only be used as a last resort. Tracking information of which teacher has covered which room, and the children involved will be logged for tracking information. If COVID-19 symptoms present themselves in staff or teachers the information will be provided to DCYF/DHS and parents of that daycare locations. The names of the staff and children involved will be provided to DCYF/DHS, but will NOT be released to the public to protect the privacy of those involved.

Gross Motor play:

Inside activities  - While inside the facility, children will take part in gross motor play by undertaking activities such as, yoga, Simon says, and red light/green light games. No other groups, or classes will mix or join another group during gross motor play.

Outside activities - While outside the facility (playground time), children will take part in gross motor play by undertaking activities such as, using play structures. running and races, yoga, Simon says, and red light/green light games. No other groups, or classes will mix or join another group during gross motor play.

SPECIAL RATES OFFERED!!!

ELC of RI is offering special rates in order to fill available childcare slots at our centers. Please call 401-294-4900 to take advantage of these open slots while they are available.

- Our "Multiple child discount" also applies at all of our centers!!!

- 10% Discount to children with parents serving in the Military, Law Enforcement, and/or local Fire Departments!!!

ELC of RI has adopted a Creative Curriculum and running a Reggio Emilia "INSPIRED" program.

Reggio Emilia is an innovative approach, recognized worldwide for its ground breaking education approach. It fosters education from the tender age, and promotes the best possible integration between family life and a educational setting. In this approach, there is a belief that children have rights and should be given opportunities to develop their potential. Children are believed to be “knowledge bearers” themselves, so they are encouraged to share their thoughts and ideas about everything they could meet or do during the day. The child are also viewed as being an active constructor of knowledge. Rather than being seen as the target of instruction, children are seen as having the active role of an apprentice. This role also extends to that of a researcher.

Much of the instruction at Reggio Emilia schools takes place in the form of projects where they have opportunities to explore, observe, hypothesize, question, and discuss to clarify their understanding. Children are also viewed as social beings, and a focus is made on the child in relation to other children, the family, the teachers, and the community.

Project topics are also selected on the basis of an academic curiosity or social concern on the part of teachers or parents, or serendipitous events that direct the attention of the children and teachers. Reggio teachers place a high value on their ability to improvise and respond to children's predisposition to enjoy the unexpected. Regardless of their origins, successful projects are those that generate a sufficient amount of interest and uncertainty to provoke children's creative thinking and problem-solving and are open to different avenues of exploration. Because curriculum decisions are based on developmental and socio-cultural concerns, small groups of children of varying abilities and interests, including those with special needs, work together on projects.

Projects begin with teachers observing and questioning children about the topic of interest. Based on children's responses, teachers introduce materials, questions, and opportunities that provoke children to further explore the topic. While some of these teacher provocations are anticipated, projects often move in unanticipated directions as a result of problems children identify. An example of this would be children observing that local birds have lost wetlands to refresh themselves with, so the young students designed a bird bath sanctuary out of non-toxic material left over from construction projects. One such school built a bird bath out of plastic tubs and tubing.

Curriculum planning and implementation revolve around open-ended and often long-term projects that are based on the reciprocal nature of teacher-directed and child-initiated activity. All of the topics of interest are given by the children. Within the project approach, children are given opportunities to make connections between prior and new knowledge while engaging in authentic tasks.

Educational excellence, unwavering dedication and outstanding child care. Those are the values that The Early Learning Centers of Rhode Island stands for. Demand for daycare facilities continue to grow day by day, but all too often, institutions are only able to focus on either allowing the child to enjoy their childhood and develop naturally or forcing the child to focus only on mental development in order to achieve high test scores later on in life.

The Early Learning Centers of Rhode Island is different. We promote physical activities in large open areas and a wide variety of educational games, but we also have a small library and various arts and crafts for your child to unleash his or her full creative and intellectual potential.

Our goal is to promote every child's development individually using an appropriate mix of academic and recreational activities.

When it comes to your kids, nothing less than the highest standards will do. Our institution provides a safe environment for your child to explore his or her full potential. If you're looking for a daycare center that meets these stringent demands, look no further!

MESSAGE FROM OUR OWNER:

The Early Learning Centers of Rhode Island is family owned and operated, providing for the learning needs of Rhode Island based families. Our centers provide essential care for children from six weeks to twelve years of age. ELC of RI was created in order to establish a safe and happy learning environment for children of all school ages and backgrounds. Our setting not only teaches essential developmental skills, but also allows your child to experience the joy and thrill of learning through play. Our staff uses years of education and first hand experience to produce the highest standard of learning for your child, while still achieving the heightened levels of fun and happiness sought by young minds. The current goal of the owner is to continuously upgrade all centers and provide additional programs while providing child care to the families at the same cost as other local centers. The owner knows that families want the best for their children even during these hard economic times. He hopes that by improving our current centers and keeping tuition at reasonable rates, it will not only help the financial situation of our families, but also the overall economy of our great state. Our goal is to provide the best child care, and daycare at the best possible price. This is the very reason our motto is "The Best Care, for the Best Price!" Stop by our centers and meet our staff, and you will see we truly are a family run business. May all of our families and our courageous troops both home and abroad have a safe and happy year. 

Our certifications and licenses can be found and checked with DCYF at http://www.dcyf.state.ri.us.

All of our facilities can be reached by bus. Please visit here to get details: http://www.ride.ri.gov/.

Brightstars certified: http://www.brightstars.org/