We have had an absolutely wonderful experience at Meeting Street ELC and cannot recommend the…read moreschool and its teachers highly enough.
Our family moved from Atlanta to Providence last summer, and both of our kids (2 and 4 year old boys when we started) started at Meeting Street ~9/2025 .
It was a year with a lot of transition, and our oldest son in particular had a challenging year behaviorally. What impressed us most about Meeting Street was how consistently the teachers and staff responded with patience, creativity, and a genuine commitment to figuring out how to help him succeed. When our son was struggling, his teachers and the school coordinator worked with us to develop strategies, adapt the classroom environment, find ways to keep him engaged, and connect us with additional resources when we needed them. They consistently looked past the difficult behavior to see the smart, curious, energetic kid underneath it. By the end of the year, he is genuinely ready for kindergarten, and we feel much better equipped as parents because of what we learned from his teachers.
Our experience with our 2-year-old's teachers has been equally wonderful. His teachers were extraordinarily calm and patient despite managing a classroom full of very young children at completely different stages of development. They put tremendous thought into their teaching, creating fun theme weeks and art projects while letting the kids' interests and curiosity guide their learning. They also worked closely with us through the entire potty-training process. Somehow, while caring for a room full of 1 1/2- to 3-year-olds at all different stages of diapering and potty training, they helped our son go from diapers to being fully day-trained by age three. He is heading into preschool well prepared, happy, and confident.
One of the things we value most about Meeting Street is how genuinely inclusive the school is. I believe one of the most important things children can learn is that differences are normal and beneficial, that everyone belongs, and that our environments should be designed to work for all kinds of people. The teachers here are unusually well equipped to care for and teach children with different needs, personalities, developmental stages, and ways of learning, which I really think benefits all of the kids.
Another thing that really stands out is how many people seem to know and care about your children, even when they aren't their primary teachers. The receptionist greets the kids every morning with "Good morning, chicken nuggets!" and somehow always has a sticker or little toy ready for them. Teachers from neighboring classrooms know the kids, help with difficult drop-offs, and jump in wherever they're needed. There is a real sense that the entire school is invested in the children.
The staff themselves are warm, funny, patient, knowledgeable, and clearly care deeply about what they do. We have had so many conversations with teachers and administrators that helped us understand our kids better and become better parents.
We are leaving Meeting Street because our kids are moving on to a local public kindergarten and a preschool around the corner from it (an hour of bridge traffic each day was the only downside to this school for us!), but we are genuinely sad to leave. We feel incredibly lucky that our kids spent this important year surrounded by people who cared so much about them and who helped them become ready for their next steps.
If you're considering Meeting Street, I would highly recommend it. Our kids have been loved, challenged, supported, and included here. We will be grateful to the teachers and staff for a very long time.
