Our History
From the day in 1946 when we first opened our doors at 24 Meeting Street in Providence, Meeting Street started what continues to be a rich tradition as a pioneer and innovator in helping children reach their potential – educationally, developmentally, and emotionally.
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| Dr. Eric Denhoff (1913-1982) |
Co-founder and one of Meeting Street’s earliest visionaries, Dr. Eric Denhoff was an accomplished pediatric neurologist and true leader in advancements for children with disabilities. Together with Margaret “Poggy” Langdon, Dr. Denhoff established Meeting Street to provide integrated educational, therapeutic, and developmental services to children with disabilities and developmental delays. Dr. Denhoff volunteered his services as Meeting Street’s medical director for 35 years, until his death in 1982.
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| Margaret “Poggy” Langdon (1904-2001) |
Co-founder and educator, Poggy Langdon firmly believed in every child’s unlimited potential and was a leading force behind Meeting Street’s combination of educational and clinical services. She helped create our vision of an inclusive community where children of all abilities could discover their talents, develop their skills, and live life to the fullest.
Nancy D’Wolf
For 41 years, Nancy D’Wolf dedicated herself to Meeting Street’s children and families. A firm believer in the philosophies and techniques first embraced by Poggy Langdon and Dr. Eric Denhoff, D’Wolf joined Meeting Street’s staff in 1952 as a physical therapist. Eight years later, she became the agency’s associate director and in 1966 was named executive director – a position she held until her retirement in 1993. During this time, she led our efforts to make Dr. Denhoff’s and Ms. Langdon’s vision a reality.
1953 – 1955: We expand our services to focus attention on the early diagnosis and treatment of children with disabilities through our groundbreaking Early Intervention program.
1957: Meeting Street relocates to a larger facility on Providence’s East Side to meet growing demand. That same year, we entered a long-range Child Development Study with Brown University focusing on children with a cerebral dysfunction.
1969: The Meeting Street School Screening Test, the first tool for the early identification of learning disorders and delays, is released. Kindergarten and first-grade teachers from across the country quickly embrace this new instrument. Meeting Street also launches a study to develop ways to identify potential learning challenges in preschoolers and trains teachers to use these techniques.
1972-1974: We introduce a new “team concept” of psychological/developmental evaluations, this model is ultimately accepted as a “best practice” by the educational and medical community. Based on the success of our own Early Intervention program and our growing national reputation, Meeting Street is chosen as one of five institutions in the United States to receive a federal grant to develop a comprehensive service delivery model to meet the developmental needs of children with disabilities under the age of 2. Meeting Street’s Early Intervention program becomes a forerunner and model for the federal program established in the 1980s.
1975: Meeting Street launches a $1.5 million capital campaign to purchase and refurbish the former Nicholson File Company at 667 Waterman Avenue in East Providence as the new Meeting Street Center. We host our first ever Telethon on WPRI TV-12.
1978: Dr. Eileen Mullen, director of Meeting Street’s diagnostic evaluation program, develops the Meeting Street Psychological Stimulus Response Test, a new approach to the evaluation of children with severe and multiple disabilities. This evaluation would become nationally known as the Mullen Scales.
1980: Meeting Street makes its first national TV appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America” with a segment entitled, “Understanding Children with Special Needs.”
1990: Responding to a growing community need, Meeting Street becomes the first approved provider of sensory integration (SI) services in the state. The need for SI services continues to grow to this day. Over time, Meeting Street's Specialty Services grows to include Assistive Technology, Audiology, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy (including lite-gait), Speech/Language Therapy, and Low Vision services.
1995: Meeting Street opens the Bright Futures Child Care Center, the first fully inclusive early childhood center for infants and young children with and without disabilities or developmental delays.
1999-2001: Bright Futures Early Learning Center expands to full-day kindergarten and changes its name to more accurately reflect its curriculum and focus as an educator of young children. Meeting Street launches The Children’s Network, a collaborative partnership with The Genesis Center, The John Hope Settlement House, Federal Hill House, and West End Community Center to bring services directly to children to help prepare them to enter and succeed in kindergarten.
2004: Bright Futures Early Learning Center becomes the first fully inclusive early learning center to gain the prestigious national accreditation awarded by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Meeting Street announces a $15 million capital campaign, The Power of Inclusion, and begins the planning process to build a 72,000-square-foot building on a 7-acre campus in South Providence.
2005: Meeting Street’s school program evolves into two schools: The Grace School (K-8) and The Carter School (9th grade to age 21). The Grace School is one of the first inclusive K-8 schools in the United States where children with severe/profound disabilities learn side-by-side – all day, every day – with peers who are typically developing. The Carter School provides life skills centers to prepare students for maximum independence and participation in their communities after they leave Meeting Street.
2006: Meeting Street moves to its new campus and successfully completes its Power of Inclusion Campaign.
2007: Meeting Street's commitment to serving the community is strengthened with the opening of the Meeting Street Low Vision Clinic, which is designed to provide clinical vision evaluations and vision screenings for children throughout the state. This magnificent center would not be possible without the support from two community leaders: The Rhode Island Foundation and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island.