Reading Week is annually one of the highlight periods of each term for the East Providence district-wide Pre-Kindergarten program, now temporarily housed completely at the Oldham Early Learning Center (the former Meadowcrest Elementary School) in the Riverside section of the city.

The week typically includes guest readers from the community, including city native and Rhode Island Secretary of State Gregg Amore, as well as parents and district personnel, like Superintendent of Schools Dr. Sandra Forand.

Calling it the school's "big project" this year, Principal Karen Rebello explained the STEAM curriculum (science, technology, engineering, the arts and math) is the focal point of the week. It uses reading as the basis for introducing the tots to each of the subjects.

"(STEAM) is one of our school improvement goals. And it's nice in Pre-K because we don't have to have wicked focus on reading. We can branch out into other things, and for our kids this is important because they're so young. So getting them involved in science, in the arts is important to us. Everyone is so intensely focused on reading and math, we're also incorporating the other things into the reading and the math," Rebello added.

The hunt began as a family engagement effort. The centerpiece book is "Not a Box," written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis, winner of the prestigious Theodor Seuss Geisel ("Dr. Seuss) Honor Award for the work.

According to the jacket notes, Not a Box was inspired by the author's memory of sitting in a box on her driveway with her sister. It captures "the thrill when pretend feels so real that it actually becomes real—when the imagination takes over inside a cardboard box, and through play, a child is transported to a world where anything is possible." And as Dr. Seuss might have conjured, "A box is just a box...unless it's not a box. From mountain to rocket ship, a small rabbit shows that a box will go as far as the imagination allows."

"The significance of this week is to inspire the children to read more books. And to be excited about reading and to become life-long readers," said Laura Elson, the Education Coordinator at Oldham who has been a teacher for 22 years, the last six in East Providence.

Actually, instead of a week, Rebello said the entire month of March is used as part of the school's family engagement effort. A month instead of just a week allows for more parents and relatives to serve as guest readers for their kids. The time also includes a scavenger hunt based on what the youngsters learned throughout the month and a book fair.

"Family is the key. That's what our focus is on, getting families to come in and be involved with what their kids are learning," Rebello added.

Pre-K update
The district and state-support Pre-K program moved entirely to Oldham in time for the current 2023-24 school year last summer with the start of the near total reconstruction of its headquarters at Martin Middle School began. The Pre-K portion of the MMS project is part of the last phase of the rebuild, meaning the program will be staying at Oldham for the next few years.

"It's great to be all in one building. It's really connected everyone. Now we're all here, all together," Rebello said of the program now being completely contained at Oldham. The majority of Pre-K classes were previously housed at MMS. When that aforementioned project is finished, the entirety of Pre-K will move back into the new Martin structure.

Pre-K  Lottery info
The lottery for entry into the 2024-25 Rhode Island Department of Education’s Pre-Kindergarten program will soon begin for families with four-year-old children living in one of 16 eligible communities, including East Providence. The lottery will be conducted in mid-May by RIDE. To be eligible to attend, children must be 4 years old by September 1, 2024, and be residents of one of the identified R.I. Pre-K communities. The link to sign up for lottery can be found here https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe712PhPIsZDMnxy8jH-s6AzQgHXv5h_uw2AmgNtcflkXHJgA/viewform?corid=6931cb2a-f53a-f7a6-d3d8-f99398e0ac45. The link is NOT FOR REGISTRATION, but to receive notification when the lottery opens for registration. Interested families should fill out the survey to receive such notification.

For more information call Rebello at 401-270-7571. The view more information about the state pre-K program in general visit https://ride.ri.gov/instruction-assessment/early-childhood-education/ri-pre-k#31841521-programs.