Project Summary

Ready to Learn Providence (R2LP) contracted with The Education Alliance to conduct an evaluation of its professional development intervention.

R2LP is an initiative to improve early learning opportunities for all children in Providence, RI while specifically focusing on the eight linguistically and culturally diverse neighborhoods exhibiting the greatest need. R2LP's goals and objectives are designed to support both existing and possible early learning opportunities available in Providence while supporting and expanding systems as they relate to ensuring that young children start kindergarten healthy and ready to learn.

This evaluation addresses the critical need for evidence about the impact of professional development on the knowledge and skills of providers of early care or Early Childhood Educators. The evaluation plan employs a cluster-randomized trial at the classroom level, to assess the effectiveness of R2LP's professional development. Half of the center-based and half of the home-based classrooms have been assigned, at random, to the treatment group and half to the control (delayed-treatment) group. Evaluation questions look at impact and implementation and look separately at outcomes for early childhood educators and outcomes for the children in the classrooms.