RI celebrates Race to the Top win

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Rhode Island leaders gathered Monday to celebrate the state's latest victory in the federal Race to the Top program.

Last week, Rhode Island was among nine states awarded federal grants to improve early childhood education.  The money will help programs like Ready to Learn in Providence, which hosted Monday's celebration.

"We are one of six state-funded pre-K classrooms," says Ready to Learn Program Director Leslie Gell.  "There are two others in Providence, two in Warwick, and one in Central Falls.  And this is really just the very beginning of what we hope will be a universal pre-K program designed for all three- and four-year-olds in this state."

Rhode Island applied for $50 million in grant money over the next four years.  The actual amount of the award has not yet been announced.  Rhode Island was also awarded $75 million in federal Race to the Top grant money last year.

"[This is] our second Race to the Top grant for this state. We are one of only six states in the country to receive both the Race to the Top for the K-12 education system and then this for early childhood education."

Rhode Island's entire congressional delegation was also on-hand to applaud the Department of Education for receiving the award, and tout the goal of developing high-quality early childhood programs.

"I've seen what happens when it doesn't work in early education, I've seen what happens when it doesn't work in middle school, and I'm here to say that these dollars will be spent and they will pay themselves back over and over and over and over again," said Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.