Wheels On the Bus Go...

In early 2015, an Early Childhood Initiative was created by SMIF and facilitated by Owatonna Community Education.  This group identified transportation as an important obstacle to successful preparation for kindergarten. Many families were unable to take advantage of preschool education opportunities in Owatonna because they were unable to get their children to and from school.  Research indicated more than 300 children in Owatonna would benefit from a preschool transportation option.

In partnership with Southern MN Initiative Foundation and SMART Transit, United Way helped launch the Preschool Transportation program in Steele County in 2016. Since it's evolution, it has transitioned to a partner agency program that is facilitated by Cedar Valley Services with support from United Way of Steele County's annual allocations process.

Currently, SMART Transit is providing a total of approximately 1,400 trips per month to 82 area children that are attending Owatonna preschools. Nearly 30 of these students are receiving scholarships to support the cost of this service.

If you have a child enrolling in an Owatonna preschool in the 2023-2024 school year, and reside in Owatonna or the child attends an Owatonna daycare - you can learn more and apply for the program online by visiting https://www.unitedwaysteelecounty.org/preschool-transportation

Neil Lyons is the Operations Coordinator at United Way of Steele County. He can be reached at 507-455-1180 or via email at neil.lyons@unitedwaysteelecounty.org. Our website is http://www.unitedwaysteelecounty.org