Economy
Can We Disrupt Poverty by Changing How Poor Parents Talk to Their Kids?
Young children who hear fewer words do worse in school. Providence wants to close the gap.
This article is part of a weeklong America 360 series on Providence.
PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Small children in the most talkative homes hear, on average, 20,000 to 30,000 words in a day. That number may sound implausible. But all of the overheard conversations, nursery rhymes, and admonishments add up.