8.4 Public-Private Partnerships

Lead Agencies must demonstrate how they encourage partnerships among other public agencies, Tribal organizations, private entities, faith-based organizations, businesses, or organizations that promote business involvement, and/or community-based organizations to leverage existing service delivery (i.e., cooperative agreement among providers to pool resources to pay for shared fixed costs and operation) to leverage existing child care and early education service delivery systems and to increase the supply and quality of child care services for children younger than age 13. 8.4.1 Lead Agency public-private partnerships Identify and describe any public-private partnerships encouraged by the Lead Agency to leverage public and private resources to further the goals of CCDF: Rhode Island has a long history of collaborative planning across the early childhood/childcare system. The lead agency provides data and information on a regular basis to partners to support their efforts. The RIght from the Start Campaign is led by Kids Count, a key partner with a rich history of data collection around health, education and social policy impacting RI children and their families. The annual Kids Count Factbook is compiled in coordination with state and community partners to ensure the state has an accurate snap shot of the key indicators for health and wellbeing. Kids Count is also a co- founder and member of the Steering Committee for the RIght From the Start Campaign which is a legislative and budget advocacy campaign to advance state policies for young children and their families in RI. The Lead Agency engages in multiple public-private partnerships to support initiatives at the local level. For example, the Lead Agency is part of the steering committee on early childhood for the Central Providence Opportunities Health Equity Zone and participates in the grant-making review committees for the City of Providence. The Lead Agency partners regularly with the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) on facilities grants for early childhood, including directly funding through the recent bond or providing guidance for the existing facilities fund.