JOHN M. KELLY is the CEO and president of Meeting Street. The special education and early intervention nonprofit, with locations in Providence and New Bedford, recently received a $330,000 federal Parents as Teachers grant for the New Bedford location through the Massachusetts Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting Initiative and administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration.
What will the grant be used for? The grant will support the launch of Meeting Street’s Parents as Teachers program for Greater New Bedford families with children prenatal to age 5. PAT is an evidence-based home visiting program used nationwide to support parents in achieving their goals for their child, while simultaneously helping to build strong, healthy and thriving communities.
Does the organization have any new initiatives on the horizon it will offer children and families? In Massachusetts, we were recently selected to lead the Department of Public Health’s regional Teen Parenting Initiative, which works to ensure healthy developmental outcomes in high-risk families. In Rhode Island, we were recently awarded a grant by the United Way to create a school-based program that addresses learning loss caused by the pandemic. Additionally, this spring we will break ground on our Center for Early Childhood Development in Providence, a 25,000-square-foot building wholly devoted to redefining early childhood education, parental support and healthy childhood development for generations to come.
How has Meeting Street remained sustainable and operational during the pandemic? Our schools in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island quickly implemented remote learning and therapy models in early April to minimize learning gaps prior to the schools reopening in June and September 2020. Our small class sizes, enhanced cleaning protocols and spacious campuses with outdoor play and classroom spaces allowed for greater social distancing. Our early childhood programs moved to a remote, telehealth model that allowed for continuity of services for families stressed by the pandemic lockdown, while our Early Learning Center and our Outpatient Rehab in Dartmouth reopened to in-person in June and July.
What is Meeting Street’s overall outlook moving forward to help provide readiness for early education? The pandemic’s impact on the development and education of our children – particularly in the area of social-emotional health – is undeniable. Fortunately, Meeting Street was founded, and continues to operate, with the mission to ensure children have the supports they need to thrive, no matter their starting points or challenges. We believe in the power of strong foundations, educationally, emotionally and nutritionally, and we will continue to develop programs, services and spaces that provide the highest-quality start to the largest number of children across Massachusetts and Rhode Island. n
