Cincinnati STRIDE helps kids who stutter connect and build confidence
Free one-day workshop brings together young people and their families for support and empowerment
Cincinnati STRIDE — formerly known as Fluency Friday — returns this fall. The daylong program for students who stutter is hosted collaboratively by the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children's, Hamilton County Educational Service Center (ESC) and Pathways Forward Center for Stuttering. The event brings together children and teens age 7 through grade 12, along with their parents and caregivers, speech-language pathologists, and UC graduate students for a day of education, activities and support.
The 2026 workshop runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at the Hamilton County Educational Service Center, 11083 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45231, in the Mt. Healthy area. Admission and parking on site are free. Each student who attends will receive a free T-shirt.
This year’s theme is “Be Your Own Champion,” reinforcing STRIDE’s mission to empower young people who stutter and build a supportive community around them.
How can I register myself and my child?
Cincinnati STRIDE is open to students who stutter from age 7 through grade 12. The event is free to attend. Space is limited. Advance registration is required. Online registration will close on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
What is Cincinnati STRIDE?
The intensive, one-day workshop for children who stutter and their families has a new name this year. “STRIDE” stands for “Stuttering, Thriving, Resilient, Inclusive, Determined and Empowered.”
Previously known as Fluency Friday, the program was renamed in 2025 to reflect its goals and participants' experiences better.
“We want the new name and the event to reflect our philosophy,” said Katrina Purcell, a speech-language pathologist at Cincinnati Children’s and one of the event’s organizers. “Talking shouldn’t be hard. With the right support, kids can learn it’s OK to stutter — and that their voices matter.”
What can families expect?
STRIDE provides a safe, supportive environment where children and teens connect, share personal stories, learn from one another, play games and have fun. Participants receive support from professionals, graduate students, family members and peers.
Students practice their speech, participate in group speech therapy sessions and engage in team-building and confidence-building activities. They are paired with UC speech-language pathology graduate student clinicians supervised by licensed speech-language pathologists.
This year, 42 UC speech-language pathology graduate students will participate as part of their clinical training, gaining hands-on experience working with students who stutter and collaborating with professionals already working in the field.
UC speech-language pathology faculty and graduate students stand with children during the STRIDE Cincinnati closing ceremony in 2025. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II.
Parents and caregivers attend their own sessions, where they hear from stuttering experts and connect with other families. Each year, parents participate in panel discussions, including a panel of adults who stutter, giving families the chance to ask questions.
The goal isn’t to “cure” stuttering, but to dispel common misconceptions and show children and teens they’re not alone — and that it’s OK to speak and stutter freely.
“Our message is simple: Keep talking,” said Purcell. “We have strategies to make communication easier, but it’s absolutely OK to stutter.”
UC speech-language pathology faculty, graduate students, parents and children are seated together in the atrium of the Health Sciences Building on UC's medical campus during STRIDE Cincinnati in 2025. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II.
What's new in 2026?
Cygni, a therapy dog at Hamilton County ESC, will be on site with her handler to meet students and parents.
Garrett Halfhill, a former professional soccer player who played for FC Cincinnati during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, will join participants during lunch to lead a fun, interactive activity inspired by the event’s theme, “Be Your Own Champion.”
Jeff Walz, head coach of the University of Louisville women’s basketball team and a person who stutters, will be a guest speaker and will also take part in the adult panel.
Rockin' Ron from WGRR and two children take part in a conversation station during STRIDE Cincinnati in 2025. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II.
This year’s keynote speaker will be Chris Mancini, a person who stutters and leader of the Cincinnati chapter of the National Stuttering Association. Mancini received the Irv Wollman Do the Right Thing Award in 2025.
Returning this year is Rockin’ Ron Schumacher, a longtime 103.5 WGRR radio personality, who will join the adult panel, lead conversation stations with students and host the open mic at the end of the day.
Why is this event important?
The UC Bearcat mascot with children having lunch during STRIDE Cincinnati in 2025. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II.
More than 80 million people worldwide — about 1% of the global population — stutter, including roughly 3 million Americans.
“Young people who stutter have to deal with the stigma of it and sometimes report feelings of isolation,” said Purcell.
Cincinnati STRIDE helps children and teens see they are not alone. It offers evidence-based support focused on building confidence, resilience and self-advocacy, and gives families practical tools to help at home.
What is the program's history?
Irv Wollman, a UC professor of fluency disorders and mentor to many Cincinnati Children’s clinicians, and Diane Games, a Cincinnati-area speech-language pathologist who specialized in fluency disorders and received the National Stuttering Association's Speech Pathologist of the Year award in 2010, co-founded Fluency Friday 26 years ago.
Each year, organizers honor Wollman with an award bearing his name that recognizes outstanding achievements by clinicians, students and participants.
Featured image at the top: UC speech-language pathology graduate students and children participate in a group activity during STRIDE Cincinnati in 2025. Photo/Joseph Fuqua II.
Frequently Asked Questions about Cincinnati STRIDE
What is Cincinnati STRIDE?
Cincinnati STRIDE (Stuttering, Thriving, Resilient, Inclusive, Determined, Empowered) is a one-day workshop for students who stutter, from about age 7 through 12th grade, and their parents or caregivers. It was formerly known as Fluency Friday.
Who organizes Cincinnati STRIDE?
The workshop is co-organized by speech-language pathologists at Cincinnati Children’s, faculty in UC’s Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders, and Pathways Forward Center for Stuttering, with support from the Hamilton County Educational Service Center.
What happens during the event?
Children participate in group activities, speech and confidence-building exercises, and social time with peers who stutter while parents attend education and support sessions. UC graduate students in speech-language pathology gain supervised, hands-on experience working with children who stutter.
How can families register?
Families can register online. Space is limited, and advance registration is required.
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