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WARWICK 鈥� Head Start programs in Rhode Island need more funding to tackle a staffing shortage in the fiscal year 2024 budget, or face imminent collapse.

That was the message program leaders, advocates, and parents gathered Tuesday at CHILD, Inc.鈥檚 Centerville Road location to send to the General Assembly as it prepares to vote on the budget later this week.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to see a breakdown of the early childhood education system in Rhode Island in the next couple of years,鈥� Mary Varr, the executive director of Woonsocket Head Start Child Development Association, Inc., said at the press conference.

About 30 advocates gathered to call on policymakers to increase the current allocation of $8 million for early childhood programs by an additional $6.5 million in Gov. Dan McKee鈥檚 fiscal year 2024 budget proposal. The budget is scheduled for a debate and vote on the House floor June 9 and June 10.

The advocates said policymakers need to increase funding to insure access to all Rhode Island children to early childhood programs like Head Start, a free federal preschool program for low-income toddlers and pre-school age children launched as one of President Lyndon B. Johnson鈥檚 Great Society programs in the 1960s.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 know what it鈥檚 going to take to make our littlest children our top priority,鈥� Khadija Lewis Khan, executive director of Beautiful Beginnings Childcare Center, a Head Start provider in Providence. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very shortsighted your state to de-invest in early childhood education.鈥�

The group called on the General Assembly to invest the following:

$3 million in state general revenue money to Head Start and Early Head Start programs to help programs compensate teachers and staff and reopen classrooms.
$2 million in federal or state funding to raise the family income required for Head Start programs from 200% to 225% of the federal poverty level. Currently, Rhode Island鈥檚 family income cutoff is $49,720 for a family of three.
$1.5 million put towards increased pay for workers in early childhood education.

When asked for comment, Speaker of the House K. Joseph Shekarchi, a Warwick Democrat, said the House of Representatives was looking into the funding.

鈥淭here are always issues that need to be evaluated after the passage of the budget by the House Finance Committee,鈥� Shekarchi said in an email. 鈥淭his is one of them.鈥�

Senate President Sen. Dominick Ruggerio, a North Providence Democrat, and Gov. Dan McKee did not respond to requests for comment.

Staffing crisis

A major motivator behind the call is a staffing shortage, leading to the closure of 30 of the 108 Head Start programs in Rhode Island since 2020 and 11 of the 40 total Early Head Start programs.

鈥淪eeing the staff crisis and classes having to close,鈥� Roshana Perry, a teacher at Joyful Noise Child Care, a West Warwick pre-school, said, 鈥渋t鈥檚 really sad.鈥�

Lisa Hildebrand, executive director of the Rhode Island Association Education of Young Children, said there are currently about 6,000 child care workers in Rhode Island, though there currently is no central database.

Though numbers are hard to come by, child care facility operators noted that low wages in the industry have led to an exodus forcing the classroom closures.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a crisis,鈥� Khan said. 鈥淲e need money to elevate the level of income of our employees.

鈥淲e are behind other states in our area and I don鈥檛 think that鈥檚 what we want to be known for.鈥�

David Caprio, president and chief executive officer of Children鈥檚 Friend, said his staff shrank since their pre-pandemic number of 450 to 405 presently.

鈥淚鈥檓 not going to say all,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut many did cite the wage as reason for their leaving.鈥�

The median hourly wage for a child care educator in Rhode Island was $13.26 in 2021, according to the Rhode Island Kids Count 2023 Factbook. That rate increased by slightly more than a dollar for preschool educators. Hildebrand said the requested budget increase could go towards increasing that pay.

鈥淵ou鈥檙e getting paid to work more at Target,鈥� Varr, the director of a Woonsocket Head Start program, said. 鈥淚s it really that difficult to find the dollars?

鈥淲e can鈥檛 spend less than 1% [of the budget] on our children?鈥�

Hildebrand, the association director, said advocates could only pray that policy makers live up to Rhode Island鈥檚 motto.

鈥淗ope,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 all we have for the next two days.鈥�

is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Rhode Island Current maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janine L. Weisman for questions: [email protected]. Follow Rhode Island Current on and .

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