As part of our Whole Family Approach, CMCA offers family coaching through the Head Start and BRIDGE programs.  Families may identify a transportation need related to education or employment.  Through the coaching process, families set and meet their transportation goals.  Data below indicates the percentage of families who gained access to transportation through participation in the Whole Family Approach.

Have young children and interested in family coaching? We welcome to you apply for Head Start or BRIDGE.

In the CMCA service area, nearly 8,600 households report having no vehicle available.  Instead, 2.5% report walking to work, 10.3% report carpooling, and 1.7% report commuting to work by other means.  Less than 1% report using public transportation to get to work, most likely because of the lack of public transportation options in more rural communities.  Approximately 16% of Missouri employers report lack of transportation access as barrier to expanding employment.  Gaining access to reliable transportation is an important step toward reaching self-sufficiency.

Data Sources:

1. U.S. Census Bureau. (2021). 2019: ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables, Table S2504.

2.  U.S. Census Bureau. (2021). 2019: ACS 5-Year Comparison Estimates Profiles, Table CP03.

3.  Missouri Economic Research & Information Center. (2021). Missouri Workforce 2020 Employer Survey.

Head Start provides comprehensive child development and family support services to young children and their families.  Through intensive family coaching, members can set and accomplish goals relating to employment and work supports that lead to increased self-sufficiency.

BRIDGE is a unique program that brings families, schools, and communities together to strengthen outcomes for children.  The program supports social and emotional health in the family, engages teachers in activities that lead to classroom success for students, develops relationships between families and their schools, and connects a community of support to both families and their children.  Through family coaching, members receive supports to better their employment situation and increase their financial stability in order to positively impact their children's success in school.

Interested in helping CMCA make an impact on your community?  Click here to learn more.

Head Start provides comprehensive child development and family support services to prenatal women and children from birth through kindergarten entry.  Head Start is funded through grants from the Administration for Children and Families Office of Head Start.

BRIDGE extends family support services to children enrolled in kindergarten through second grade at Columbia Public Schools, Southern Boone School District, Hallsville School District, and the Centralia R-6 School District.  The BRIDGE program is funded by the Boone County Children's Services Fund.

Interested in partnering with CMCA?  Click here to find out how you can help.