|
National Transportation Center
for School Children (NTCSC)
A Division of M. H.
West & Co., Inc.
700 East Main Street, Suite 904, P. O. Box 548, Richmond Virginia 23218
Telephone: 804.782.1938 | Fax: 804.782.9771 | Toll Free: 1.888.WEST904 |
NTCSC
Services
Mission:
To promote high standards
and best practices in the transport of children by serving as a nationwide resource and
clearinghouse that creates strategies, models, plans, publications and other tools and
makes these available to providers of transportation in the private and public sectors.
National Study of Head Start Transportation
Programs
|
Here are some of the ways the Center may be able to help you:
 | Conduct an on-site survey of the safety,
comfort, and cost effectiveness of your agency's transportation system.
|
| Conduct an on-site assessment of the
quality and cost of your driver or monitor training program.
|
| Create a model job description for the
transportation coordinator's position.
|
| Determine the best size, design, and price
of new buses that you need to purchase for your program.
|
| Provide information on the latest thinking
on the kinds of emergency equipment and medical supplies your buses need to carry.
|
| Supply data on whether and by how much your
vehicle license fees and excise taxes exceed the national average and strategies on what
you might do to bring down those charges.
|
| Develop attractive, readable safety
brochures or leaflets for personnel, parents, and the community.
|
| Provide help constructing the most feasible
competitive recruitment, employment, deployment, and compensation plan for your agency's
drivers and monitors.
|
|
Does your team have what it takes to be effective?
Member Involvement
Effective Decision Making
Role Identity
Values
Effective teams
require a group of people unified by a purpose, focused on a mission, and committed to
success.
Is MERV a member of your transportation team?
Strengthening
Your Transportation Team Brochure
|
Resources are
also available to help you with...
| Regulatory Impact Studies
|
| Team Building
|
| Anger Management
|
| Advisory Boards
|
| Grant Writing
|
| Effective Communication
|
|
| Recruiting Volunteers
|
| Establishing Standards of Safety
|
| First Aid and CPR
|
| Setting Up a Transportation System
|
| Creating Brochures
|
| Workshops, Seminars and Training Modules
|
|
Other Services Include:
| The Strategic Planning Process
(Workshop/Handbook)
|
Originally designed to complement the
Quick Reference Handbook for Setting Up a Transportation System, The Strategic Planning
process guides you through the steps needed to develop a strategic plan. Learn to use the
process to develop a mission and vision for your organization and set the goals and
objectives of your transportation program. The Center offers consultation to organizations
wishing to develop a strategic plan.
| How to Find That Pot of Gold
(Seminar/Handbook)
|
Successful organizations are not handed a
"Pot of Gold"; they planned for it. This handbook/seminar will assist your
organization to overcome that fear of failing with fund-raising initiatives. You will
learn how to mobilize a team to help you to fund-raise and reap the rewards from your hard
work.
| The Roller Coaster Ride of
Recruitment and Retention (Seminar/Handbook)
|
Learn how to develop the "ups"
of recruiting qualified employees and avoid the "downs" of losing them.
You’ll gain insight into the factors that lead to developing a workforce that stays
with you --- instead of just being along for the "ride".
| Solutions Through Coordination:
Transportation Possibilities (Seminar/Handbook)
|
When an agency finds difficulty accessing
resources or finding employees it may be time to consider the options available through
partnerships. The handbook/seminar will allow you to identify the incentives and barriers
present, as well as potential organizations to partner with. It also discusses the types
of partnerships you may pursue and how to develop a plan of action.
| Effective Communication (Training
Module)
|
Strengthen your staff through the
development of effective communication skills.
| Listening and remembering skills
|
| Speaking and presentation skills
|
| Selected business writing skills
|
| How to lead productive meetings
|
| How to give and receive criticism
|
| Team Building (Training
Module)
|
Learn how to develop a strong team
through:
| The team life cycle
|
| Group processes and group roles
|
| Applying problem solving and decision
making techniques
|
| Setting productive goals for the team
|
| Resolving conflict in a team
|
| Behavior Management (Training
Module)
|
For drivers and monitors this module will
teach participants:
| Reasonable standards of behavior
on the bus
|
| Situations that create risk
|
| How to maintain control
|
| Other creative options for enhancing the
school bus experience
|
| Anger Management (Training
Module)
|
Dealing with anger is a crucial
element of working with children. You should know how to effectively handle your anger to
avoid complicated situations. This module will teach participants:
| What makes you angry
|
| Techniques to control anger
|
| How managing stress can reduce
"explosions"
|
Technical
Assistance Services:
| Advisory
Boards and Grant Writing
|
Writing grants and establishing
or further developing current advisory boards is critical to your ability to maintain or
expand resources that you need to grow. Are you having difficulties in developing partners
to work with to expand resources? The Center can help you assess your current status and
develop ways to meet your goals.
| Regulatory Impact
Studies
|
The Center’s staff is
experienced in dealing with regulatory agencies and can assist your agency in assessing
the impact of regulations on your program. The Center also has a vast array of resources
at its disposal to conduct the research necessary for a complete and accurate study.
| Establishing Standards
of Safety
|
Through its original national
study for the Head Start Bureau, the Center has become an expert in establishing standards
of safety and "best practices" in the transportation of preschool children. If
your agency is wrestling with conflicting standards and which ones to apply than the
Center can help advise you in making an educated decision.
| On-site Surveys
|
Would you like to determine how cost
effective your transportation program is? Would you like to assess employee or customer
satisfaction with your services? Our on-site surveys can help you reach conclusions about
these and other matters regarding your services.
| Supplying Data
|
The Center’s research
capabilities provide access to many data sources unavailable to organizations that face
time restraints when conducting research. By providing agencies with data they request in
a timely manner, the agencies hands are freed to continue with the essential operations of
the organization.
| Creating Brochures
|
While our brochures are available to
organizations as a resource, there may be specific issues particular to an individual
program that could be addressed more accurately in a brochure published just for them. You
may submit the information you would like presented in its entirety or request us to
research and create an original brochure just for you.
To order a handbook download
the publications order
form. |
|
Please
note: The Center is not limited to these services and offers a wide range of technical
assistance services at a reasonable cost. If you are interested in further information
regarding services please contact Marilyn H. West
for more details. |
|
