With early preschool programs clamoring for more than $2 billion this year in federal stimulus money, School Transportation News is partnering with the National Head Start Association to present four training opportunities related to the safe transport of at-risk preschoolers April 28 through May 1 in Orlando.

A provision of the Head Start stimulus provides $350 million for quality improvements. This includes funding for staff training, according to a program instruction filed by the Office of Head Start on April 2.

The workshops are part of NHSA’s 36th annual training conference. The conference’s theme, “Beyond the Boundaries: New Approaches and New Strategies,” applies not only to improving educational opportunities for nation’s preschool children who live at or below the poverty level but aiding local Head Start agencies with the training necessary to provide efficient and safe student transportation to and from their educational centers.

This year’s workshops came about after NHSA received numerous inquiries from its members to offer transportation-specific training, which has been absent from NHSA's curriculum for the past several years. The Pupil Transportation Safety Institute previously contracted with NHSA on providing the training. This year's workshops are designed to help Head Start agency directors identify the importance of transportation systems leading up to more advanced training to be offered July 25-29 at the annual STN School Bus EXPO in Reno, Nev.

The transportation training elements begin on April 28 with the workshop “Child Passenger Safety Restraint Systems on School Buses” taught by Victoria Creech of Orange County Public Schools. This hands-on class is based on NHTSA’s 40-hour National Child Passenger Safety Certification Training Program, which was developed specifically to address the unique issues of installing Child Safety Restraint Systems (CSRS) on school buses. Creech, a NHTSA-certified CSRS instructor, will teach curriculum that supports the Guideline for the Safe Transportation of Pre-school Age Children in School Buses, developed by NHTSA in 1999, which recommends that pre-school age children who are transported in school buses always be transported in properly secured CSRS.

The following day, April 29, Jesse Chapa and J Davis of Telamon Corporation will present an interactive course on managing the behavior of young children on the bus. Discussion points will feature defining what is inappropriate behavior and the causes, how Head Start employees should handle that behavior, how to share the Children’s Curriculum for Safety on the Bus, and how to create a learning atmosphere during the commute to and from school.

Nancy Netherland of the Migrant & Seasonal Head Start Technical Assistance Center will present the workshop “What Head Start Directors & Managers Should Know About Transportation Services” on April 30. A foremost national expert on Head Start policy and regulations, Netherland will discuss the current requirements for safe transportation of Head Start children per Part 1310 and how programs can meet their responsibilities. She will also teach specific strategic approaches that have been used successfully by programs in response to increased costs and demands for transportation services from families and communities.

The transportation training element wraps up on May 1 with “Keeping Watch Over Your School Bus Maintenance Costs” by Denny Coughlin, the fleet operations manager for Minneapolis Public Schools. Coughlin will use data and information culled from public school best-practices and will apply them to the Head Start community. This will include the benefits and expenses related to contracting school bus services, collaborating with your local school district and owning your own fleet. Coughlin will also discuss the importance of preventative maintenance programs and overall costs.