Ymca head start3/28/2024 ![]() ![]() “It's also about whether or not it's affordable and safe to ride the bus or to ride the rail,” Seldin said. Nearly all of the Head Start centers in Kansas City are located within a quarter mile of a public transit stop, but Gilliam said many employees and families who rely on buses are often late because of unreliable scheduling. The report from CMI measures the proximity of public transit to centers, but not the accessibility. “It would be great if we had public transportation that would drop our families off within a block or two of our programs,” Gilliam said. Gilliam said their Head Start program was able to provide transportation at one point, but it lost funding. The Memphis Area Transit Authority has already used the data to relocate bus stops closer to three Head Start centers within their service area. There are 29 centers in Missouri within a mile of a public transit spot, a distance the report said could be shortened with low-cost solutions. “It's a small change, but it can make a big difference in the lives and trajectories of families across the country.” “Moving a bus stop, just a couple of thousand feet, is not expensive for a transit agency,” Seldin said. The report says transit agencies could make centers more accessible with inexpensive changes like extending those bus routes.Ībigail Seldin, co-founder of CMI, said her team sees it as a “tremendous” opportunity. “It's also a long way for them to push a stroller or to walk down the street with multiple kids.”Īn additional 19% of centers nationally are more than a quarter mile but less than a mile away from a transit stop. “They may have children that have to hold hands and walk with the families, so it can be a safety issue for them,” Gilliam said. Gilliam said many bus stops aren’t convenient for their families who have more than one child. In Missouri, just under 25% of the 335 centers are within a walkable distance. Only 42% of centers nationwide have a transit stop within a quarter of a mile, a distance the report defines as walkable for a toddler. To understand the scope of transit issues that families face, NHSA and CMI produced a map measuring the distance between each Head Start center and the nearest public transit stop. ![]() KCUR 89.3 The YMCA Head Start program in Kansas City’s Columbus Park neighborhood is less than a mile from a public transit spot - but just outside walking range for toddlers or someone holding a small child. ![]()
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