Rhode Island School Age Child Care
Association
History
The Rhode Island Coalition for School-Age Child Care began in 1993 following a year of hard work from dedicated professionals in Rhode Island with Joanne Howard from Rhode Island College as its first chairperson.
Rhode Island College had been the lead agency for a federally funded program offering technical assistance to schools and communities to establish and support after school programs in Rhode Island. At that time, Joanne Howard was the Coordinator for Technical Assistance at Rhode Island College through the Department of Education. This office provided staff training, offering both written materials and consulting services and gathered and shared state-wide and national statistics as part of this grant.
In 1992, the funding for this federal grant seemed doomed in Congress. It appeared that a permanent organization which could voice the concerns of the school-age programs in Rhode Island was needed to carry on when the federal funding ended.
A group of dedicated people in Rhode Island gathered to collaborate on a goal to create such an organization. The founding group included Joanne Howard, Rhode Island College, Dr. Mary Ann Shallcross, Kids Klub School Age Day Care, Joanne Floden, DCYF, Barbara Gianola, DHS, and Sue Connor, Childspan. Soon, the vision of the organization was born. Nationally known speakers were brought to Rhode Island to inspire collaboration for this purpose, and several working teams were organized to focus on solving existing problems including transportation, cost of care, and professional development.
By 1996, the membership included Head Start programs, community centers, day care centers, YMCAs, Roger Williams Park Zoo, parochial programs, consultants, DHS, DCYF, Salvation Army, and private school age child care programs, as well as family day care programs.
In 1996 the grant was discontinued and Joann Howard took an Administrator position in the Wachusett Regional School District in Massachusetts. Christine Quinn and Mary Ann Shallcross Smith from Kids Klub resurrected the Coalition in 1999 because of the needs of school age child care providers in Rhode Island. It has been meeting on a monthly basis since then.
The Presidents of the Coalition include: Mary Ann Shallcross (1999- 2001), Christine McKenney (2001-2004) and Erica Saccoccio (2004 – present).
In 2005 The Association held its First Annual "Spooky Staff Spectacular". This event invited all school age programs to come together to support the work of school age programs and school age support agencies. The first Achieving Excellence Award was presented to Ocean State Kidz, the first National Accredited Program in the State of Rhode Island. The first group to receive the Striving for Excellence Award was presented to Totally Kids After School Adventures, Sunshine Child Development, House of Little People, MacColl Field YMCA, and Childcare Connection Beverage Hill.
In 2006 the Coalition membership voted to incorporate under the new name of Rhode Island School Age Child Care Association. It presently has a non profit status and is in the process of applying for a 501(c)(3) designation.
In 2006 the Association become the Rhode Island State Affiliate for The National After School Association. In addition we collaborated with Options for Working Parents and designed membership benefit's such discounts from Food Source and WB Mason. Membership benefits were also negotiated with The Youth Today Publication offering discount subscriptions or free subscriptions to site memberships. Free and discounted trainings are offered quarterly to members from School Age Accreditation Support, and May 2006 we added discounted tickets to Six Flags Theme Park for all members and their families.
CHILDSPAN provided support, technical assistance and training to school-age and youth programs seeking national accreditation through the National Afterschool Association. Five programs in the project have achieved accreditation. There are several school age programs currently involved in the NAA Accredited process our state. As we look to the future we will work together to support programs through the accreditation process, make new partnerships and continue to collaborate with other child and family support organizations and agencies.
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