by Tristan Mortensen
New River Community Action (NRCA) has purchased and taken delivery of a new bus that will provide transportation for children in the Shawsville and Elliston areas, which will allow them to attend Head Start classes in Christiansburg for the upcoming 2021-2022 preschool year.
New River Community Action has for several years been unable to provide transportation for Shawsville and Elliston children.
“This bus will deliver materials for at-home learning,will be able to pick children up whose parents want them to have in-person instruction, and will deliver food from this center,” said Sheryl Helm, the Director of Early Childhood and Family Services for NRCA.
Head Start is a federally funded pre-kindergarten program providing low-income children between the ages of 3 and 5 with various experiences to help them develop socially, cognitively, physically, and emotionally. The program is offered without charge to the families who meet the income eligibility requirements. The NRCA Head Start mission is to build on the unique strengths of children and families through positive engagement, health education, and a quality pre-kindergarten experience.
The program takes place from August until May with full-day and part-day options available.
Children must be between age three and five, meet family income guidelines, and have a current physical with immunizations documentation. Parents may receive more information or may enroll their children by calling the Christiansburg Head Start Center at (540) 381-7559 or by e-mail mdefranco@nrcaa.org.
“We’ll be able to provide comprehensive services which are not just educational but include family and a mental health component. We will not only be able to serve the children, but serve the family,” said Katie Collins, NRCA’s Facilities and Transportation Coordinator.
“In the Shawsville and Elliston areas, which is where we are targeting with this bus, there is just a large gap in access to Head Start,” Collins said. “The families live in our service area, but they can’t make it to us.”
The bus purchase was made possible with funding awarded through the CARES Act; the federal stimulus package passed last March in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. NRCA opened a competitive grant process that attracted four bidders and awarded the bid to the Sonny Merryman company. Merryman has delivered the bus to the Christiansburg office and provided an orientation for all the Head Start staff.
“I’m excited because Christiansburg Head Start did lose transportation a few years ago because our budget could not afford a new bus.” Collins said. “With the CARES Act funds, we are able to put a bus back where we would not normally have been able to do so.”
The bus is a 23-passenger 2020 Chevy/Thomas school bus with features that provide the children with a safe and fun ride. Each seat is equipped with lap belts and 5-point child passenger restraints. Additional features include a backup camera system, a child reminder system, an LED light package, and heated/remote mirrors. A Head Start bus monitor is always on board in addition to the driver to assist the children.
NRCA is now hiring qualified drivers with a CDL on a part-time basis and offers competitive wages and a great working environment. Interested applicants can visit newrivercommunityaction.org/nrca-jobs for more information.
