When we think of students experiencing homelessness or housing instability, we rarely consider one of the basics: getting to and from school. Students who move from shelter to shelter or friend to relative need consistent access to education and strong peer relationships that come with staying in the same school.
Transporting such students is challenging for traditional school bus models due to varied pick-up and drop-off locations that pre-designed routes and schedules can’t accommodate. Unreliable transportation can chip away at student academic achievement and emotional stability.
EverDriven helps districts provide students with consistent transportation. EverDriven also helps school districts customize transportation solutions while adhering to the federal McKinney-Vento Act, ensuring every student has equal access to education and reliable, safe transportation.
“Students experiencing homelessness deserve a consistent education, and it starts with reliable rides to school. It involves so much more than just showing up and getting grades — it’s a big deal,” EverDriven Chief Growth Officer Danielle Press says.
In this Q&A, Press continues the conversation on transportation assistance for students experiencing homelessness and EverDriven’s role in helping them achieve consistency in school attendance while supporting their overall well-being.
What are some of the often invisible barriers that McKinney-Vento students face?
Consistency, for one. Regular attendance at school sets a student up to thrive. The absence of that means they probably don’t have access to a consistent education. It can affect students’ ability to excel academically or have an age-appropriate level of education.
It goes beyond education, too. It’s the whole social environment that kids look forward to at school — the stability aspect of having friends and running around and playing with them. If a student is in and out of school, their access to a consistent friend network and what’s happening in their school community can be massively disrupted.
When families lose housing due to financial circumstances, their kids may lose access to meals. What we’ve learned is that getting to school doesn’t just mean a stable learning environment and being able to overcome possible family issues. It also means: “I get access to socialize. I get access to breakfast and lunch every single day.”
Trust is also a big issue. It’s important for there to be a level of trust between McKinney-Vento students and their driversdriver. Some children may be in domestic violence situations or other unsafe living environments. Having a reliable, trustworthy person in their lives, like a consistent EverDriven driver, is so important for a student’s perception of familiarity and safety.
A bonus for districts using EverDriven: Our drivers’ cars look like everyone else’s, which reduces the stigma and shame some students feel about getting into a McKinney-Vento van. The feedback we’ve gotten is that it kind of levels the playing field.
Why is it important for school districts to have a reliable transportation solution for McKinney-Vento students?
Schools are federally mandated to provide transportation, but that can be a challenge. Districts that transport 10,000 kids a day are thinking about routing, busing and how to drive efficiency.
Anything that doesn’t fit in the box of standard transportation becomes a burden on the district logistically. If the transportation department doesn’t have a scalable partner who can quickly transport McKinney-Vento students, they’ll have maybe hundreds of parents calling, asking “Where’s my kid’s ride?” “What is happening?” “My child didn’t get to school.”
One district came to us recently after some terrible PR about a lack of transportation. It hurt the school’s reputation in the community. They had tons of press and massive turnover at the board and executive level because thousands of kids couldn’t effectively get to school. Fortunately, we were able to help this district by providing Alternative Student Transportation, significantly improving their on-time attendance and educational outcomes.
In addition, most districts are not staffed to support the phone calls or the PR nightmares; it impacts their efficiency. They need a partner to rally to the need when it arises, communicate that the need was fulfilled and confidently and consistently get the student to school on time. Because any time that doesn’t happen, it creates extra work that the schools don’t have resources to navigate.
Districts are continuously trying to find more efficient ways — budget-friendly, effective and safe — to get kids to school. They need alternative transportation with vetted drivers and safe vehicles to avoid massive liability for the school. When it works, it works great. But if you have a partner that can’t deliver, it creates massive challenges for the district.
How does EverDriven help schools do right by McKinney-Vento students?
As the longest-standing provider in the market, EverDriven has deep-rooted expertise and a robust network across 33 states, ensuring reliable access to a consistent supply of drivers wherever and whenever districts need them. We have a reputation for reliability: We’re not just showing up — we’re going the extra mile to support districts.
Districts trust us to provide the same driver for the majority of our rides to provide reliability and build trust
We have the ability to scale up and scale down with a district’s evolving needs. They’ve got 10 students? We’ve got it. They’ve got 1,000 students? We’ve got it. That’s a big part of how we operate.
We also have the technology that supports all this. We keep school staff informed of where a child is and who the driver is. Parents can track their child’s transportation through our mobile app and even where the car is. This removes the burden on the school districts and improves their transportation return on investment. That means something big to school districts and parents.
How does EverDriven collaborate with school districts to create personalized transportation plans for McKinney-Vento students?
EverDriven is more than just a transportation and tech company — we’re a people business committed to building strong relationships and investing in communities.
Our local teams work closely with district staff, including McKinney-Vento liaisons, to understand each district’s evolving needs. Our goal is to stay two steps ahead, whether preparing for an anticipated influx of students in the coming weeks or arranging a certain type of vehicle for a student with particular needs.
This personalized approach translates into the ability to adjust to meet new demands. If a district has a new student in need, they can submit their request today, and EverDriven will run that trip for however long they need. If a student’s address changes, we’ll quickly reroute the trip. We also have a deep expertise in fulfilling the diverse needs of McKinney-Vento students.
School districts improve their transportation ROI when they partner with a reliable provider like EverDriven. Our reliability and high safety standards make all the difference to McKinney-Vento students. The best feeling is continually putting a smile on the face of a student who may be having a hard time at home.
To learn why school districts love partnering with EverDriven, visit EverDriven.com or meet with a member of our team.
Opinions expressed by SmartBrief contributors are their own.
