This preliminary assessment of child care employee turnover rates in Rhode Island for the period ranging from Q2 of 1999 to Q4 of 2001 yielded results not unlike those reported for other areas in the U.S. As is true elsewhere, turnover of employees at child care facilities in RI is high. For the larger sub-areas in Rhode Island (Balance of the State, Providence, and Pawtucket), average yearly turnover rates ranged from a low of 27% in Pawtucket in 2001 to a high of 41% in Balance of the State (year 2000) and Providence (year 2001). For the period 1999 to 2001, the statewide average annual turnover rate was 36.8% for single-license centers and 37.7% for multiple-license centers. During the period of our study, which begins at about the time Starting Right was implemented, turnover rates appeared to be headed downward, but the period was too short to discern a trend. Results indicate that child care employee turnover in Rhode Island follows a cyclical pattern. It is significantly higher in the third and fourth quarters of the year than in the first and second quarters. We also found that turnover rates vary considerably not only from area to area of the state but also from provider to provider. This means that understanding turnover rates requires development of a model that incorporates unique attributes of providers and possibly of their employees. (author abstract)