2020 -- H 8167

========

LC005596

========

     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2020

____________

H O U S E   R E S O L U T I O N

THANKING THE LEADERSHIP AND STAFF OF READY TO LEARN PROVIDENCE FOR

MORE THAN SEVENTEEN YEARS OF IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF EARLY

CHILDHOOD EDUCATION FOR OUR STATE'S MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN

     Introduced By: Representatives Diaz, Casimiro, Kennedy, McNamara, and O'Brien

     Date Introduced: December 14, 2020

     Referred To: Placed on the House Consent Calendar

     WHEREAS, Founded in 2003, Ready to Learn Providence (R2LP) has endeavored to

improve the education and health of young children and to close the achievement gap between

low-income children and their more affluent peers, by working with the adults who play the

largest role in their lives; and

     WHEREAS, The organization's noble mission has focused its efforts on teaching center-

and home-based educators, in our State's most distressed neighborhoods, the essential life skills

that the children in their care will need in order to succeed in school and ultimately in life; and

     WHEREAS, To date, R2LP has trained more than 3,500 early childhood educators in

both English and Spanish, and now also offers many of their services statewide; and

     WHEREAS, With outstanding programs such as Ready for K! and Mind in the Making,

R2LP has built a foundation for children's future development, providing a strong base for

lifelong learning and learning abilities, including cognitive and social development; and

     WHEREAS, The Ready for K! program was specifically designed for children who have

not attended a preschool program, and Mind in the Making "is an eight-session course for adults

that covers the seven essential life skills all children need to succeed in school." In partnership

with the Providence Public School Department, Mind in the Making has coached and supported

more than 2,500 family members and staff at the city’s elementary schools; and

     WHEREAS, In addition, R2LP has offered professional development courses to early

childhood educators at our State universities including, The Incredible Years, I Am Moving, I

Am Learning, and, most recently, Providence Talks; and

     WHEREAS, Throughout its existence, R2LP has been blessed with outstanding leaders

and individuals whose contributions have resulted in the programs' overwhelming success

including, the organization's founding Director, Joyce Butler, Director Leslie Gell, who has been

at the helm for more than 15 years, the best outreach Director and Educator, Tania Quezada, who

has served as Director of Family and Community Partnerships, and Magda Ortiz, a superlative

Administrator, to name but a few of the incredibly dedicated staff of R2LP; and

     WHEREAS, Ready To Learn Providence has been a true champion in providing children

with care-givers who will never give up on them, and who understand how to help them become

the best that they can possibly be. Sadly, due to the world's current medical and financial crisis,

R2LP will be closing its doors; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives hereby thanks the leadership, staff, and

all who have entered the programs of Ready To Learn Providence for improving the quality of

early education for our state's most vulnerable children; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Joyce Butler, Leslie Gell, Tania Quezada, and

Magda Ortiz.

========

LC005596

========

LC005596 - Page 2 of 2