RI H8130

Transitions Rhode Island's prekindergarten program from a pilot planning phase to a permanent maintained program serving children ages 3 and 4, removing the previous restriction limiting enrollment to communities with low-performing schools

Establishes a lottery system for enrollment in state-funded prekindergarten, with eligibility requiring residency in a participating community and being 4 years old by September 1

Lottery selection must consider family program preferences, sibling enrollment priority, and economic demographics of the municipality where the program operates

Effective July 1, 2026, allows prekindergarten programs to accept non-resident students from other participating municipalities if slots are available, the student is eligible, and selected through the lottery

Protects programs from losing state or local education aid for accepting non-resident students, and prohibits excluding students with siblings already enrolled in a program based on residing in a different municipality