McKee tours future site of community learning center in Coventry
Community learning centers across Rhode Island are a work in progress under Gov. Dan McKee's Learn365 initiative to increase learning out of the classroom.
More than $80 million in federal funding has been distributed to 18 of the state's municipalities to build new learning centers that will be functional by the end of 2026.
The governor wants Rhode Island to reach Massachusetts' education marks by 2030.
"This is what it brings, the entire community, into the to the mix to help reach our goals," McKee said. "We can have RIDE and education in here. We can have a DLT in terms of helping with job strategies and job training, and we can have a health department in here as well."
He toured the space at the Coventry Town Hall Annex that will become one of the community learning centers Tuesday.
"We're using out-of-school time to support what's happening inside the schools," he said.
It's similar to something the governor did when he was mayor of Cumberland.
"There's certainly been a strong improvement in our in our schools for many reasons, including the hard work of the teachers and the administrators in our schools, but when you when you actually connect in municipal leaders who are supporting a strategy that will help the families and help the students, that's a new relationship," he said. "So, what I saw was a lot more a great deal more interest. We activated families and parents in a way that really helped contribute to the overall success of the students and the kids."
