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RI “education coordinator” charged with rape and sexual abuse of little girl

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GLOCESTER, R.I. – A man who served on the state Department of Children, Youth and Families’ parent advisory board and was interim executive director of the state’s Prevent Child Abuse division is accused of raping and sexually assaulting a little girl.

Kyle Delaney, 49, of Glocester was arrested Thursday and charged with first-degree child abuse and three counts of second-degree child abuse.

Delaney was involved in parenting classes and support groups that emphasized the importance of fathers, such as working for the Parent Support Network of Rhode Island and serving as coordinator of the Rhode Island Fatherhood Initiative, according to his biography at the National Training and Technical Assistance Center, which was removed from its website on Tuesday. He also claimed to be a certified nurturing parenting teacher and winner of the Cherish the Child Award.

Until his arrest, Delaney also worked as a contractor for the state Department of Corrections, where he worked as a parent support coordinator in an inmate education program, said Department of Corrections spokesman JR Ventura. Delaney’s job was to work with incarcerated parents who had issues with family court, DCYF, co-parenting, and provide parenting programs. On his LinkedIn profile, Delaney said he had “child welfare experience”; court records show a DCYF investigator interacted with his family in 2019.

In May, a prepubescent girl told her mother that Delaney had sexually abused her in his home for about three years, starting when she was 3. The mother called Day One Rhode Island, an agency that supports victims of sexual abuse, and police, according to an affidavit filed by Glocester police Lt. Jeffrey Jenison, who investigated the case.

State police and the Department of Corrections worked together, arrested Delaney, and then turned him over to the Glocester Police Department.

“As he has been suspended from our facilities in his professional capacity while the legal process is ongoing,” Ventura added. A spokeswoman for DCYF did not respond to questions about Delaney’s status Tuesday, but told WPRI he is no longer an active member. The Parent Support Network of Rhode Island did not respond to the Globe’s request for comment.

Delaney was arraigned Friday in Providence District Court, where a judge ordered him held without bail. No guilty plea was entered to the charges, which is standard for felony charges in district court. A status conference is scheduled for Wednesday.

You can reach Amanda Milkovits at [email protected]. Follow her @AmandaMilkovits.

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