PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Providence Talks, an innovative program designed to close the “word gap” and improve the language development of the city’s youngest residents, today announced a new community partnership with Child & Family and their Providence Community Center to educate and recruit families to participate in Providence Talks.
“This partnership helps makes sure children in the city are better prepared for success when they enter the classroom,” said Mayor Jorge Elorza. “I would like to thank Child & Family for partnering with Providence Talks to help us better serve the community and close the word gap for more children.”
“Child & Family believes strongly in the power of parent talk to close the ‘word gap’ so that all of Providence’s children are ready to learn and thrive when they reach kindergarten,” said Marty Sinnott, President and CEO of C&F. “That’s why we are excited to partner with Providence Talks to reach out to the families and children we serve who could benefit from this great, free program.”
“Child & Family and their Providence Community Center are a trusted provider of family focused programs and services in our community,” said Courtney Hawkins, Executive Director of Providence Talks. “They are a great community partner to help spread the word about Providence Talks and to enroll more families to participate in our ‘Talk To Teach’ program.”
Providence Talks was developed during Bloomberg Philanthropies’ 2013 Mayors Challenge. The Mayors Challenge is an ideas competition that encourages cities to generate innovative ideas that solve major challenges and improve city life -and that have the potential to spread to other cities. The City of Providence was the grand prize winner of the challenge and received $5 million to implement the initiative.
With the addition of Child & Family, Providence Talks now has five community partners engaged in outreach, recruitment, and implementation of the program. Providence Talks other community partners are Meeting Street, Family Service of Rhode Island, Children’s Friend, and the Federal Hill House.