Almost 100 Head Start centers in Virginia that foster educational and social development for children under the age of 5 are located within one mile of a transit stop, but beyond walking distance for a toddler. Virginia joins other states across the country with the issue. Nationally, only 19% of centers are within a toddler’s walking distance of 0.2 miles.
“With low-cost changes — like bringing bus stops within walking distance of Head Start centers — transit dollars can double as Head Start dollars,” said Abigail Seldin, co-founder of the Civic Mapping Initiative, a transit research organization that collected the data on Head Start centers across the country, including in Virginia, and worked with the national Head Start leaders in hopes of improving accessibility for children and families.
This story was reported and written by The Virginia Mercury
In 1965, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services launched Head Start to provide all-inclusive health, nutrition and education services to children, including those whose families fall below the federal poverty line, which is currently around $30,000 for a family of four.
Head Start offers transportation for children across most of the country. However, in some areas, transportation is not available to allow families to commute to the centers.
Data collected by the Civic Mapping Initiative found that 42% of Head Start sites nationwide have a public transit stop within 0.2 miles or about a thousand feet of the center, concluding that almost three out of every seven locations have a transit stop within walking distance for a small child.
About 37% of Virginia’s 337 Head Start centers are within 0.2 miles of public transit, compared to top-ranked Washington D.C., which has the highest national rate of Head Start centers located close to transit stops, 98%.
City of Alexandria leaders and area bus service DASH “are working on a number of projects to improve access to bus stops for Alexandria residents,” said Martin Barna, director of planning and marketing for DASH. “After some coordination from Abigail and her Civic Mapping initiative, DASH and the City were able to prioritize relocations and improvements at two bus stops near Head Start centers” at Cora Kelly Elementary and Fairlington United Church, Barma said in an email to The Mercury. DASH buses will begin serving the two stops within the next couple of weeks.
To meet the needs of families, Civic Mapping Initiative researchers recommended transit planners in Virginia localities include a list of current Head Start locations and engage with providers in transit planning.
Another recommendation is for federal leaders and agencies to make access to Head Start facilities a component of transit funding grant applications. State agencies could also invest in free transportation for certain populations, and to incentivize partnerships between public schools, local municipalities and Head Start programs.
Civic Mapping Initiative has also provided analysis and mapping tools for transit leaders to help in their decision-making.
“Our national Head Start Transit Map has kindled new discussion between transit agencies and Head Start centers across the country, yielding quick and positive changes in Tennessee, and in Virginia,” Seldin said. “Local collaboration will be the real driver of success across the country. Transit accessibility extends beyond stock proximity to a focus on affordable figures, safety, routes and schedules — all of which need to be informed by community members directly.”