EAT, PLAY, LEARN

Mayor Elorza Announces Robust Summer Opportunities as Part of EAT, PLAY, LEARN Campaign

Season to kick off July 1 with opening of pools and waterparks, free summer meals, recreation programming and features new series of neighborhood arts celebrations

PROVIDENCE, RI –  Mayor Jorge O. Elorza today announced a slate of robust summer opportunities available to Providence families as part of the City’s EAT, PLAY, LEARN summer programming campaign. This year’s diverse offerings include the free Summer Meals program, engaging recreation and parks programming including access to public pools and waterparks beginning July 1, and a new series of performance arts celebrations hosted in neighborhood parks.

“EAT, PLAY, LEARN is about bringing Providence families and especially youth together to have fun, be active and stay safe over the summer,” said Mayor Jorge O. Elorza. “We’re thrilled to be offering folks of all ages so much to explore, learn and enjoy in the capital city with support from our partners. Make sure to mark your calendars and invite friends to some of the most exciting events and activities happening locally.”

EAT, PLAY, LEARN is a partnership between Mayor Jorge Elorza’s Office, the Providence Healthy Communities Office, the Providence Parks Department, the Providence Recreation Department, the Providence Public School District and the Providence Department of Arts, Culture + Tourism, that increases access to high quality, affordable, and educational summer programs in Providence.

EAT

The City of Providence Parks Department, in conjunction with the Rhode Island Department of Education, serves free and nutritious meals to all children and teens ages 18 and under through the Summer Meal program. Last summer, over 178,000 free summer meals were served to Providence youth at recreation centers and parks in collaboration with youth-based organizations.

This year, Providence will serve lunches at 30 neighborhood parks, recreation centers, pools and waterparks. Meal service will run July 1 through August 16, Monday through Friday at pool locations. For waterpark sites, meal service will be extended until August 23. For the first time this summer, the City’s five recreation pools will also be open as meal sites on Saturdays from 11:30am to 1:00pm. Times and locations may vary or change, so parents and families should call 2-1-1* to find a summer meal site in their neighborhood. Meals must be eaten on-site.

Summer meals locations and times include:

Elmhurst · Valley · Mt. Pleasant

• Fargnoli Park 12:00pm-2:00pm

Smith Street (Across from 950 Smith St.)

• George J. West Park 12:15pm-2:15pm  Chalkstone/ Mt.Pleasant Avenue

• O’Brien Park  11:15am-1:15pm

Corner of Regent St./River Avenue

East Side

• Fox Point Park 11:45am-1:45pm                  Wickenden Street (Across B/G Club)

• Billy Taylor Playground 11:30am-1:30pm              Camp Street (Across 135 Camp St.)

Federal Hill · West End

• Zuccolo Rec Center  12:15pm-2:15pm   18 Gesler Street

• Dexter Training Grounds 11:00am-1:00pm

73 Dexter Street

• Wiggins Village 11:15am-1:15pm

207 Cranston Street

• Codding Court PHA 11:30am-1:30pm

144 Dodge Street

Charles · Wanskuck · Smith Hill

• Selim-Rogers Rec Center – 12:00pm-2:00pm

60 Camden Avenue

• General St. Playground 11:45am-1:45pm

11 West Drive

• Chad Brown Waterpark 12:15pm-2:15pm               Chad Brown Street

• Metcalf Field 11:15am-1:15pm

Across from 200 Hawkins Street

• Corliss Park 11:00am-1:00pm

30 Corliss Street

South Side

• Ellery Park 11:00am-1:00pm

Ellery Street (Across 84 Ellery St.)

• Sackett St Rec Center  12:15pm-2:15pm   110 Sackett Street

• Harriet and Sayles Park 11:45am-1:45pm   199 Oxford Street

• Rollins Rec Center/Pool 12:00pm-2:00pm

674 Prairie Avenue

• Pearl Street Playground 11:45am-1:45pm               Pearl and Providence Street

• Jennifer Rivera Park 11:30am-1:30pm      40 Niagara Street

• DHS Headquarters 10:45am-12:45pm       206 Elmwood Avenue

• Peace and Plenty 11:00am-1:00pm            Peace and Updike Street

• McGrane Pool (Bucklin Rec Center)   12:15pm-2:15pm

404 Dexter Street

Olneyville · Hartford ·Silver Lake

• Riverside Park 11:15am-1:15pm

50 Aleppo Street

• Donigian Park 10:45am-12:45pm

Valley Street

• Hartford Park 11:00am-1:00pm

Across 300 Hartford Avenue

• Joslin Park & Rec Center 11:30am-1:30pm              17 Hyat Street

• Neutaconkanut Rec Center 11:45am-1:45pm        675 Plainfield Street

• Manton Heights 12:30pm-2:00pm

21 Salmon Street

Wallace Street Park 12:00pm-2:00pm

Corner of Wallace and Cumerford

PLAY

EAT, PLAY, LEARN encourages physical activity and creative engagement in Providence parks, pools and public spaces. To cool down, the capital city offers 5 outdoor pools and 13 water play parks that are free and open to the public. Pools are located at recreation center sites and water play parks are in neighborhood parks throughout the city. A list of locations and schedules can be found here.

The City will again offer numerous affordable camp opportunities for Providence youth including sports, day, and specialty education camps. Providence Recreation will provide 10 weekly sports camps ranging from basketball to golf, day camps at 11 recreation centers offering a variety of fun activities and field trips, and 4 specialty camps with a focus on sailing, nature, music and dance, and biking.

Residents are encouraged to explore Providence parks through several free programs including PlayCorps, which aims to activate neighborhood parks with play, art, and creative exploration; and Fitness in the Parks, which offers free classes ranging from yoga to Bollywood dance and family karate. Participants are asked to arrive early, complete the necessary waiver (those aged 18 and under must have it signed by a parent/guardian) and to bring their own mat and water.

With support from the Providence Department of Arts, Culture + Tourism and community partners, the beloved performing arts series formally known as the Neighborhood Performing Arts Initiative (NPAI), returns as The Ely Performing Arts Series in honor of benefactor Edward Ely. The series will offer free performances and programming throughout July and August featuring movies, music, storytelling, drumming, dancing and fun for the whole family.

A full schedule is below:

Park Finder allows neighbors identify their closest parks and recreation facilities using an interactive web map.

LEARN

For the third consecutive year, the City in partnership with the Providence Public School Department will offer expanded summer learning opportunities for students. Providence has partnered with Inspiring Minds, Believe to Achieve, The YMCA, Generation Teach and College Visions to increase access to year-round learning opportunities for students from pre-k through high school. More than 1,000 youth are expected to benefit from free programs designed to stem summer learning loss and build social emotional skills. Registration details can be found here.

In collaboration with the Providence Community Library, all children who attend Providence Recreation Camps will participate in literacy programming to help enhance reading skills. Students are also encouraged to use the Passport to Summer Learning they received in school, or download their own, to track their summer reading.

In addition to summer learning, Mayor Elorza believes that summer employment and advanced internships are critical to building skills and ensuring job readiness. From 2016 to 2017, summer jobs offered by the City more than doubled, from 500 to more than 1,000. In 2018, over 1,300 year-round youth employment opportunities were offered. The City seeks further expansion in 2019 with support from partnering organizations. Visit pvdsummerjobs.com for details on summer employment opportunities for young people.

With PVD Young Makers, the City offers free programming for youth and families at the Providence Public Library and the Providence Community Libraries. The program empowers students to solve the problems of tomorrow by supporting a culture of making through student-centered teaching and learning. PVD Young Makers activates a maker mindset by providing access to cutting edge technologies and opportunities to practice essential skills. Visit pvdyoungmakers.com or any of Providence’s ten libraries for programming or more information.

More information on summer meals, recreation opportunities and park programming can be found at www.eatplaylearnpvd.com. For questions, contact the Mayor’s Center for City Services at City Hall by dialing 3-1-1 or by downloading the PVD311 mobile application now available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.