Just 42 percent of the nation’s Head Start early education centers are within walkable distance for parents with toddlers.
A story by Jodi Fortino for KCUR highlights the link between public transit and access to early childhood education in Missouri, where less than 25 percent of Head Start centers are within easy reach of transit.
This finding is meaningful because, “According to a national survey of Head Start centers, lack of transportation is one of the top barriers preventing families from enrolling and keeping their kids in the early childhood program.”
Nationwide, 42 percent of Head Start centers are within a quarter mile of a transit stop. Other challenges include unreliable bus service and unsafe routes or stops. “When families talk about not wanting to take the bus or considering themselves as not having access to buses, it's because of the time that it takes to either get through all the stops, or to change buses,” said Michelle Pendzimas, Head Start director for Kansas City Public Schools.
Read the full story: Most Missouri families can't rely on public transit to get their kids to Head Start
Report: Reduced Fare Transit Programs Reach Less Than Half of Eligible Riders
Discount programs designed to help low-income transit riders have participation rates that rarely hit 50%, signaling a lack of effective outreach to eligible households.
Philadelphia Councilmember Proposes Transit Access Fund
The plan would allocate 0.5 percent of the general fund toward mobility subsidies for low-income households.
Limited Transit Access Stifling Memphis Economy
The city ranks low for transit access to jobs, limiting opportunities for local workers and businesses.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority