State officials and early childhood educators alike packed Little Learners Academy on Centreville Road November 1 to celebrate the Child Care for Child Care Educators pilot program.

In total, the state invested $7 million of additional funding into early childhood programs earlier this year, with $3 million earmarked to preserving the Head Start program and $4 million to the pilot program.

The pilot program, according to Rhode Island Speaker of the House Joseph Shekarchi, has helped child care centers throughout the state retain teachers and assist teachers with young children of their own.

“It’s important that we find the people who are actually doing the work [and make sure] they’re recognized,” Shekarchi said. “We want to fund programs that work.”

The program, which launched on Aug. 25, will result in the reopening of 12 different classrooms within the Head Start program that had previously been closed, according to Nicole Chiello. Chiello, the Assistant Director of Child Care in the Rhode Island Department of Human Services, 192 child care workers with young children have signed up for the program, leading to 336 additional children receiving care.

“Effective policy and data-driven approaches will help ensure children from all backgrounds will come to school ready to succeed,” Chiello said. “These initiatives will help ensure all children who enter kindergarten are receiving quality instruction that will help set them on the path to reading proficiently.”

Chiello, according to State Senator Alana DiMario, was critical in implementing the program, which was first announced by Shekarchi’s office on June 9.

“This came from a variety of different discussions that were happening as far back as last year,” State Senator Alana DiMario (D-Narragansett) said. “There was this idea of what benefits beyond increased pay- which we also know is direly needed- what other things were providing barriers for people staying in or joining the workforce. And the idea of the prohibitively high cost of child care being a barrier for parents who are early childhood educators kept coming up over and over again.”

Savanna Noe, a parent and former Head Start student, said that her local Head Start in Woonsocket had provided a lot of help for her family.

Noe said that Head Start went “above and beyond” for her during struggles that she had faced, including temporarily losing custody of her children.

“When the staff members at Head Start found out, many of them jumped into action to ensure my children not only had a safe place to stay, but they also had all their needs met on that first night by ensuring that clothes were sent home with them and everything else,” Noe said. “They still extended the offer of help to myself through the reunification process- something they didn’t have to do.”

According to Noe, Head Start’s support had helped make her life easier, and the increased funding had helped make sure her family wasn’t left behind.

Noe’s sentiment was echoed by Alexis Mirabelli, a teacher at Little Learners with a son attending the academy as well.

“It’s been life changing,” Mirabelli said. “I can continue what I love while pursuing my education, all while watching my son thrive each day. Without this pilot program, it wouldn’t have been possible.”

According to Lisa Hildebrand, the executive director of the Rhode Island Association for the Education of Young Children and RIght from the Start co-chair, groups such as hers will be pushing the General Assembly on more legislation during their next session in January