About Meeting Street

Meeting Street was founded in 1946 as a school for children with disabilities based on the belief that all children have a right to high-quality education and a developmental support system in order to reach their full potential. 

Today, Meeting Street offers an unrivaled continuum of programs and services for children with and without disabilities, working with more than 7,000 children and their families each year.  Our Early Childhood Programs include:

Early Head Start: A home-visiting program in Providence that nurture parent-child bonds, healthy home environments and literacy development skills for income-qualifying families (prenatal – age 3);

Early Intervention: A home-visiting program in Rhode Island and Greater New Bedford that provides unique, home-based educational and therapeutic services to children who experience – or are at risk for – developmental delays (birth – age 3);

Early Learning Center:  A fully inclusive preschool providing nationally accredited curriculum to children ages six weeks through 5 years (Providence); 

Healthy Families America: A home-visiting program for income-qualifying families in Providence designed to improve parent-child interactions, foster positive family dynamics and promote school readiness (prenatal – age 3);

Parents As Teachers: A family visiting program that provides free and voluntary support to Greater New Bedford families, helping to build strong communities, thriving families and children who are healthy, safe, and ready to learn.

Pediatric Outpatient Rehabilitation: This center-based partnership with Southcoast Health provides physical, occupational and speech-language therapies to children across Southeastern Massachusetts;

Pre-Kindergarten: Delivering high-quality, evidence-based curriculum to Providence children, ensuring physical, social-emotional and educational readiness for success in kindergarten and beyond.

Regional Consultation Program: A home-based service helping Early Intervention families – and school districts in Southeastern Massachusetts – smoothly transition children into their new environment;

Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC):  A center-based program helping Rhode Island families build healthy foundations – nutritionally, emotionally and developmentally (prenatal – age 5); 

Teen Outreach Program: A community-based program focusing on teen empowerment and pregnancy and STI prevention in New Bedford’s Hispanic/Latin X communities.

Teen Parenting Initiative: Provides comprehensive support for pregnant or parenting young adults (male and female) between 14 to 25 years old living in Greater New Bedford. 

Meeting Street’s Schools include:

The Carter School: Meeting Street’s Rhode Island high school for students with special needs offers a year-round program of academics, vocational / workforce training, life-skills preparation and individualized therapies to help students ages 14 through 22 reach their greatest level of independence;

The Grace School: The first of its kind in the nation, our fully inclusive K-8 school in Providence educates children with and without special needs in the same classroom.  For students in need of additional support, The Grace School provides full-time nursing and occupational, physical and speech-language therapies;

The Hope Academy: A Meeting Street-sponsored K-8 mayoral charter school for lottery-selected students from the communities of North Providence and Providence; and

The Schwartz School: Meeting Street’s Massachusetts school for students with special needs, ages 3 – 22, offers a year-round program of academics, vocational / workforce training, life-skills preparation and individualized therapies to help students reach their greatest level of independence.