Dr. Pat Feinstein Child Development Center

Center Overview

CDC The Dr. Pat Feinstein Child Development Center located on the Providence Campus of the University of Rhode Island offers high quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood education programs for children ages three to five years. Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), our full day preschool and kindergarten program’s mission mirrors that of the University: to provide high quality programs for pre-primary children, to serve as a high quality teacher training facility, to support research in the field of early childhood education, and to serve the community as a model of best practice in early care and education through outreach and advocacy.

Center Description

CDC The Dr. Pat Feinstein Child Development Center is part of the Human Development and Family Studies program at the University of Rhode Island. The director and five teachers in the program have Rhode Island Early Childhood teacher certification, a strong background of education and experience, and outstanding evidence of professional development, community support and outreach.

The CDC enrolls a maximum of 36 children in its two classrooms. The spacious environment gives children opportunities to interact with a variety of different children and materials based on individual interests and learning styles.

Using the diverse environment of the downcity community as our playground, children have the opportunity to be part of all that the city has to offer including parks artwork, concerts, libraries and museums.

The Child Development Center is a full year program closing for State Holidays, the last 2 weeks of August, the 4th Friday of November and the last week of December.

The Center is open daily from 7:45 AM to 5:15 PM. Families may choose from 3 program offerings:

Kindergarten Monday through Friday 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Before school and/or after school care is available for children in the kindergarten program.
Full day preschool Monday through Friday 7:45 AM – 5:15 PM
Half-day preschool Monday through Friday 7:45 AM – 12:30 PM

At the Child Development Center

CDC We believe in the uniqueness and intrinsic value of each child. We strive to develop a program that will enhance the development of each child to the fullest extent. We believe that children learn through meaningful play experiences with interesting materials that match children’s interests and abilities. These rich experiences and interactions help children move toward individual goals and age appropriate goals of the Rhode Island Early Learning Standards and Kindergarten Grade Level Expectations.

We believe that high quality programs include goals for children, families and the program. The goals for the Child Development Center reflect the 10 core standards of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The curriculum is designed to meet the needs of the whole child through a play-oriented, integrated approach. Our curriculum includes a consistent daily schedule, well-defined classroom environment, positive verbal climate, a range of high quality instructional strategies, peaceful guidance techniques, and open-ended activities that are reflective of our diverse world.

Based on the belief that children are best understood within the context of their family and community, we strive to foster strong reciprocal relationships with families and to use knowledge of the community we serve as an integral part of children’s learning experiences. We seek to understand families’ personal and cultural backgrounds, create and maintain effective two-way communication and support and nurture family members to be effective advocates for their children. Families are encouraged to work in partnership sharing their knowledge of their child’s interests, approaches to learning and developmental needs. Through this strong relationship we learn about families’ concerns, goals and hopes for their child.

Enrolled Families

Parent Handbook - PDF download
School Calendars

2007-2008 calendar:
HTML for viewing | HTML for print | PDF download
2008-2009 calendar:
HTML for viewing | HTML for print | PDF download

Donations

The Center welcomes donations and gifts in kind to support the program. For more information contact Joanne DiBello, 401-277-5174 or JDB@uri.edu.

Interested Families

Scheduling a visit

The Child Development Center welcomes families interested in visiting our program. An appointment process ensures that each family has the opportunity to tour the entire facility, meet teachers, observe children in play and ask many questions. Families may choose to bring the child for the initial visit.

Enrollment process

The Child Development Center uses a four-step enrollment process.

Interested families submit an application (download) and schedule a tour of the program.
Once families decide that our program meets their needs, families schedule a one-hour visit with their child. This visit gives the child a chance to smoothly transition into a new program, helps teachers become familiar with the child, and gives the family a chance to share information to help support their child.
Families submit a non-refundable deposit equivalent to tuition for 2 full-time weeks.
Families complete an application packet and select a start date.

The CDC enrolls children throughout the year.

Scholarship
Alan Shawn Feinstein, a local philanthropist, provides an endowment to fund scholarships for the children of adult learners attending the Feinstein Providence Campus to attend the Child Development Center. Adult students interested in applying for the Lillian Feinstein Scholarship must be undergraduate students carrying at least 6 credits per semester, 9 credits for kindergarten-age children. Scholarship applications are due August 1 and December 1. For more information, contact the Office of Student Services at 401-277-5010.

Contact Information
Deb Morelle, early childhood program coordinator, 401-277-5264, morelle@uri.edu