“Inspiring Minds” Providence Kids Head to Kindergarten

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Monday, August 27, 2012

GoLocalProv Features Team

It was a sweet graduation that was actually all about beginnings for 180 Providence five-year-olds. For four weeks these Providence children who are about to enter kindergarten in one of the city’s public schools spent their mornings in a rigorous K-Prep program run by Inspiring Minds (formerly Volunteers In Providence Schools or ‘VIPS’) for youngsters with little or no pre-school experience. 

Graduation day

To celebrate successfully completing the Inspiring Minds’ Kids Bridge initiative, graduation ceremonies were held in each of the five schools in which the summer program was delivered: Carl Lauro, Young Woods, Asa Messer, Fogarty and Lillian Feinstein at Sackett St. During the ceremonies, children showed off newly acquired skills to parents, families and friends, all of whom expressed enthusiastic support of the children’s efforts.  

According to the National Center for Children in Poverty, Columbia University, “Children in families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold are typically 18 months behind their peers at age four.” With nearly 90% of Providence’s public school students living in low-income households, Inspiring Minds saw a need to reach children at this young age, when it’s easier to catch them up.  

Kids Bridge

To help these children overcome years of lost learning, Inspiring Minds, working with education professionals, developed Kids Bridge, an intense program that gives children the individual attention they need to learn quickly. A key to its success is the 3:1 student/adult ratio. Delivered by educators and trained volunteers, Inspiring Minds’ Kids Bridge program successfully increases children’s vocabulary, teaches reading and math skills and instills self-assurance. 

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