In 2009, Rhode Island established a state-funded pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) program. The pilot program initially included 126 four-year-old children and their families. It is currently expanding and will include 1,062 children across the state by 2022. The program is designed to meet high-quality standards, build on the existing early childhood education infrastructure in the state (including child care, Head Start and public schools), and serve children 4 years of age who reside in communities with concentrations of low performing schools. Simultaneous to the pilot launch, Rhode Island began working with the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER), a nationally respected early childhood education research organization, to conduct a landmark randomized control research study to evaluate the effects of Rhode Island's Pre-K pilot program on participating children's early learning outcomes. The results of this study are being used to inform Rhode Island state policies with the goal of improving children's access to high quality early care and education. This initial report shares the findings from the NIEER study and evaluation report of the 2009-2011 RI Pre-K Demonstration Project, describes the growth of the state pre-K program, and provides details regarding Rhode Island's commitment to ongoing quality improvement within the state-funded Pre-K program. (author abstract)