“A Bus for Us” will help Colorado Springs families enroll their children

COLORADO SPRINGS, Color. (KRDO)- It may be hard to believe for many of us, but school is set to start in just a few weeks.

One local organization is rolling out a new bus that they hope will make the enrollment process easier for students and parents in Colorado Springs. It hits the streets on Monday as part of the Harrison D2 Kindergarten Sign-Up Day.

The group is called Community Partnership for Child Development (CPCD) and they started fundraising for this program back in March. The primary goal is to help families who face challenges enrolling their kids in preschool. It's called "A Bus for Us" and it will be parking in underserved neighborhoods across the city.

The CPCD is offering multi-lingual services to help meet the needs of families and the bus has computers that will help families complete the enrollment process. There's also a corner filled with books and toys for children to enjoy while their parents fill out paperwork.

The CPCD operates the preschool classrooms in School District 2 elementary schools and assists with both Head Start and universal preschool.

According to the organization, 80% of families enrolled in Head Start and Early Head Start Programs live at the federal poverty level or are very low-income, and that's why it's important to have this kind of service.

"We're proud to say we believe in learning through play. Play stimulates the brain. It stimulates emotions, it stimulates regulation, and it stimulates processes for a child to have a foundation and know how to regulate themselves over a period of time before they get to kindergarten," said Steven Lewis, CPCD CEO.

The CPCD raised $30,000 in donations to make this program possible.