Providence Mayor Angel Taveras joined with community and business leaders to launch Providence Reads, an initiative that aims to educate parents and the community about the importance of reading, to improve school readiness and attendance, and to increase access to books.

At a Nov. 14 event, Taveras called for business community involvement, with commitments already received  from GTECH, Walgreens, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, Citizens Bank, and AAA Southern New England.

Providence Reads is part of a broader reform plan entitled Educate Providence: Action for Change that was developed by the Mayor’s Children and Youth Cabinet.  Fifty organizations and more than 130 people are participating on the Cabinet’s subcommittees and working groups.  Progress toward the goals of the reform plan will be measured by 11 indicators, including:

• Percentage of 3- and 4-year-old children enrolled ins high-quality preschool programs
• Number of schools meeting or exceeding state accountability standards
• Percentage of students who are chronically absent
• Percentage of fourth graders who start the year reading on grade level.

The Providence grade-level reading effort benefits not only from mayoral leadership, but also from the strong commitment of Providence School Superintendent Susan Lusi.