City seeks to maximize youth participation in enriching educational, recreational and occupational programs with fourth annual Summer Opportunities Expo
Wednesday, April 3, 2019
PROVIDENCE, RI – Mayor Jorge O. Elorza will join city officials, representatives from the Providence Public School District, and community partners to host the fourth annual Providence Eat, Play, Learn Summer Opportunities Expo at the Providence Career and Technical Academy (PCTA) located at 41 Fricker Street, on Saturday, April 6, 2019 from 10:00AM to 1:00PM.
“Research shows us what a child does during their summer break matters,” said Mayor Jorge O. Elorza. “Providence families are invited to join us for a free event that will help them learn about the enriching summer opportunities available this year. I want to thank our community partners for helping us offer more specialty camps, sports activities and educational programming for our children.”
This year, the Expo has expanded to better connect families to educational, recreational and occupational programs as part of the City’s nationally-recognized Eat, Play, Learn PVD initiative and will showcase over 40 local community organizations that offer diverse, fun and educational summer programs, jobs and internships to youth in the capital city. Representatives from the Providence Recreation Department will also be on hand to facilitate summer camp registration.
Eat
Mayor Elorza is committed to ensuring that all children have access to healthy meals throughout the year. The City’s summer meals program provides Providence youth 18 and under with access to healthy and fresh food options all summer long. Last summer, over 178,000 free summer meals were served at recreation centers, parks and in collaboration with youth based organizations and programming. A list of meal sites and more information about the program can be found at www.eatplaylearnpvd.com.
Play
Mayor Elorza has focused on encouraging physical activity and creative engagement in Providence parks and public spaces. Local parks are playgrounds, sports stadiums, science labs, and stages. In Providence, summer is a time for youth to be outdoors, enjoying green spaces and expanded recreation programs and play opportunities.
Important Note about Summer Recreation Programs: Complete registration forms for summer programs with payment will be accepted by the Recreation Department at the Expo. Low cost, enriching recreation camps are $5 per child, per week of programming. Accepted forms of payment include credit card, cash and money orders. Payments should be made to: “Providence Recreation Support Fund.” Exact change will be appreciated.
Learn
The Expo originated from a set of recommendations issued by the Mayor’s Summer Learning Task Force in a 2015 executive report to help address summer learning loss experienced by students in the city. More than 60% of Providence students suffer summer learning loss in reading and more than 51% in math.
Studies show that students from lower-income families are far less likely to have access to summer learning opportunities, leading to greater summer learning loss and lower graduation rates. These students at the greatest risk for summer learning loss can lose up to two years of grade-level reading and math ability by the time they reach fifth grade compared to children from higher-income households.
To combat these trends, the Summer Opportunities Expo offers one central location for families to easily connect with representatives from non-profit organizations and businesses to learn about how their child can stay engaged and continue to learn and grow during their break.
The family-friendly event is free and will offer refreshments and special giveaways. For more details on youth opportunities available in Providence this summer, please visit www.eatplaylearnpvd.com.
Participants of the Summer Opportunities Expo include:
- American Lung Association
- Alliance of Rhode Island Southeast Asians for Education (ARISE)
- Artists’ Exchange
- AS220 Youth
- Beat The Streets Providence
- Believe to Achieve
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Providence
- Breakthrough Providence
- Camp RYSE (Refugee Youth Solidarity through Education)
- CCAP Providence Youth Center
- City Year
- College Visions
- Community Action Partnership of Providence (CAPP)
- DownCity Design
- Family & Community Engagement Office (FACE) for PPSD
- Federal Hill House
- Generation Teach
- Goodwill of Southern New England
- Inspiring Minds
- Institute for the Study and Practice of Non-Violence
- Lifespan Community Health Institute
- Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center (The Met High School)
- Mt. Hope Learning Center
- Narragansett Council Boy Scouts of America
- Office of Mayor Jorge O. Elorza
- Providence Community Library
- Providence Housing Authority
- Providence Hawks Football and Cheer
- Providence Parks Urban Wildlife Refuge Partnership
- Providence Promise
- Providence Recreation Department
- Providence Parks Department
- PVD Young Makers
- Rhode Island for Community and Justice
- RI Nurses Institute Middle College
- RIMOSA
- Southside Community Land Trust
- Trinity Repertory Company
- Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University
- Woonasquatucket River Watershed Council
- YMCA of Greater Providence