February 24, 2025 • 25 mins
Cindy Hamilton, Communications Director for "HopSkipDrive" joins to share more information on what the organization does for families facing housing issues and safely getting them to school.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is Jessamin McIntyre, your host of Seattle Voice, your
community voice presented by iHeartRadio Seattle. And joining me now
is Cindy Hamilton with Hop Skip Drive one. Thank you
for your time too. How are you today?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
You're welcome and I'm fine. Thank you good.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
I know that you are physically in Chicago right now.
But we were talking a little bit about the weather
and I know that a little bit of sunshine can
make someone's stay even if it's a little bitter cold.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
And are you feeling that out there today?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I am feeling that out there. Give me all of
the sun.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Yes, I just need some light in my life, which
is why I have you on today, and that is
the point of this show. Let's talk about the good
that people are doing in the community, and Seattle Voice
gives me that opportunity. Hop Skip Drive is is an
organization that brings light to homeless youth and I wanted
(00:54):
to ask you exactly what they do.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Sure, we are a technology pumpy Hopskift Drive is a
technology company and we solve complex transportation challenges where there
is a heightened need for safety, equity and care. And
we do this by arranging care center transportation. So this
(01:18):
these are rides from vetted local caregivers. They're called care drivers,
and we work directly with school districts, with nonprofits, and
with government agencies across seventeen states. School districts use hopskip
drives to supplement the existing transportation that they have for kids.
(01:41):
And so a lot of times this looks for looks
like buses, it could be other small vehicles. It can
be really challenging when we're talking about youth that are
experiencing homelessness. They move a lot, they're highly mobile, and
it can be difficult for school district to ensure that
(02:01):
those students are able to get to school. It can
be challenging to look at a fixed bus route to
reroute it to ensure that a student is picked up
and taken to school on time. And because Hops get
Drive has this nimble network of care drivers, those vetted
local caregivers that are available and can be quickly mobilized,
(02:27):
a ride can be arranged in as little as six
hours by a school district. These students who may be
experiencing homelessness, who may be moving frequently, can then get
picked up so that they don't miss a day of school.
We're talking about chronic apps andeeism when you're looking at
this population of students who are experiencing homelessness, and it's
(02:49):
so important to look at the ways that kids get
to school and if we want to ensure that they
are attending and are going to school on a day
to day basis, looking at safe, reliable transportation is a
terrific solution. And that's where we come in. Seattle is
(03:11):
no stranger to increasing rates of homelessness. There are students
across Kin County that are, unfortunately, their numbers are rising
in terms of experiencing homelessness, and then their numbers are
rising in terms of experiencing chronic absenteeism in missing school.
And so having hopskip drive as a solution and as
(03:34):
a tool in the toolkit of area school districts is
something that we're proud to be a part.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Of, absolutely and it sounds like a very first step
in just taking something off the plate of all of
the experiences, the negative experiences that those facing homelessness actually
have to go through. And Cindy Hamilton here with hop
skip drive, how do you find and I think I
have a this question hits a couple different levels, because
(04:02):
I think anyone who is a parent, regardless of their
housing status, would wonder who is going to drive my
child to school? How do you find these people as
a volunteer based and what's the vetting system when it
comes to drivers for hop skip drive.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
That's a great question. It is so true that parents
and caregivers are often wondering the best option for transportation
for their children. Our State of School Transportation survey last
year found that more than three quarters, so seventy nine
percent of parents and caregivers say that they are driving
(04:46):
their children to and from school. And not everybody has
access to a personal vehicle, not everybody has the ability
to take time away from work or other obligations to
commit to that driving, And forty percent of these parents
reported that their schools have eliminated or reduced their children's
(05:08):
school bus services, So it's a real challenge for folks.
Hop skip Drive works directly with school districts, and school
districts can then offer hop skip drive as an option
as they are looking at their entire transportation system and
looking at what's available and their routing, and so they'll
(05:30):
build hopskip drive into the tools that they do offer
their student population that receive school transportation and as far
as the vetting and the care drivers, VETT is local
caregivers that are behind the wheel. These are former nurses,
(05:52):
former teachers. Care drivers with hopskip Drive must have at
least five years of caregiving experience and then they go
through an extensive fifteen point certification process to become a
Hop Skip Drive care driver.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
That's really awesome for those out there who could utilize
the service. Again, we have Cindy Hamilton joining me Jessamin
McIntyre on Seattle Voice. You are Community Voice presented by
Heart Radio Seattle and Cindy are those who need to
utilize the service or want to use this service necessarily
(06:27):
have to be houseless to apply and if you could
take me through the application process or how you find
those or match those up who are in need with
the care drivers.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
So the school district is arranging the transportation for students.
Government agencies, nonprofits, agencies that support kids who might be
in the foster care system. If they are providing transportation,
they will work directly with Hop Skip Drive to arrange
(07:00):
those rides. Is an option to what they then deliver
to those receiving services. If parents or caregivers are interested
in hopskip Drive, they should talk to their school district
to see if we can be an option for them,
or visit our website at hopskip drive dot com to
learn more.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Okay, great, Yeah, I was going to ask you how
people can find out about it. I mean, I've gone
on the website and everything, but I think it's important
for people to know. And as you know, I don't
have children myself, but I have a little brother and sister,
and I do have a Nieza nephew that I care
about very much. And as someone who cares about those
who are going to school, I know that it's really
(07:41):
great to have that resource out there for one their
own vetting process. Okay, can I do this? Have you
seen that vetting process go through? Do you have people
ever come in? They can read website and everything, but
do you have people that come in to talk to
either you or a member of the organization.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
We are always looking for interested individuals to become a
hop skip drive care driver. This is an opportunity for
additional flexible income. It's possible for care drivers to earn
up to fifty dollars per ride and we often hear
from care drivers that it's meaningful work and it supports
(08:27):
the success of students in their community. And we encourage
individuals to visit hopskip drive dot com and then they
can learn more about going through the certification process and
what's involved. They can set their own schedule, they can
(08:47):
choose rides that might work for them. Many care drivers
will drive just a few hours a week, so it's
additional flexible income for many.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Oh there is income.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Yeah, I was going to ask you because this is
a wonderful organization and it is hard to find even
pennies these days to fund such programs.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
How is it funded?
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Care drivers that want to drive with hopskit Drive, they
will complete our fifteen point certification process, five years of
caregiving experience, a minimum of three years of driving experience.
They can submit proof of vehicle insurance, they're valid driver's license,
(09:33):
vehicle registration. They go through a criminal record check. They
have a good driving record, so do a video screening
to share their caregiving experience and allow hopskit drive to
understand their background, fingerprinting, a child abuse and neglect scan.
(09:54):
It's quite extensive because we want to ensure that because
safety is number one at hop skip Drive. All care
drivers are completing this vetting process and then hopskip drive
works directly with school districts and so we will enter
into an agreement and partner with a school district to
(10:18):
arrange transportation for the school year, and then the individual
care drivers work with hop skip drive to earn the
income when they are providing those safe, reliable rides to
and from school for students.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Okay, so it does essentially come from the school district,
is what I'm hearing?
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Yeah, hopskip drive works directly with the school districts, and
then Hop skip Drive care drivers are working with hopskip
drive to become a part of the platform and have
access to the ride so that they can build their
schedule and choose to drive a student to and from school,
(11:00):
and then they receive the earnings for those rides directly
from hopskip Drive.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Oh okay, I see, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
I think that a lot of people are curious about
programs and where the funding comes from and also how
to support the funding of such programs because there is
an unbelievable need right now. So I always like to
make it transparent for people so they know exactly how
they can help.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Again, Cindy Hamilton.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Is here with hopskip Drive, and I actually really like
to learn about the people who join me on these shows,
and I was wondering how you got involved and what
your passion was the trophy there.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
I'm a mom, I have three children, and I deeply
understand the challenges of transportation, ensuring that my kids are
able to get to school, that they have access to
equitable and safe and reliable transportation through the bus or
(12:02):
other options. And when I learned about some of the
challenges that we're facing school districts across the country when
they are faced with navigating bus driver shortages, funding challenges,
and that it can be really hard to have that
access to transportation for everybody, I wanted to be a
(12:23):
part of telling that story. Hopskip Drive was founded by
three working mothers just like myself, wow, and they understood
the need as I did too. And more than three
million rides have been completed since that company. More than
three million rides have been completed since our founders started
(12:48):
hopskip Drive in twenty fourteen. I wanted to be a
part of it.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Congratulations on being a part of it.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
I always it's you know, you see a problem, you
want to help, a verrabo and sometimes you wonder exactly how.
And for me personally, when I see when I can't
fix it drives me insane and I always try to
do anything I can help. And that is why I
have the privilege of hosting this show where we can
(13:15):
work together to get the word out about what people
can do. So thank you for not only being an advocate,
but actually getting your hands in it and being a
part of everything that you do. So I appreciate that
and it's close to your heart too, So thank you.
You're welcome Sidney Hamilton here with Hop Skip Drive. And
I'm wondering if you have seen the output of results
(13:38):
when basically you had mentioned earlier that you just want
it's one step to get a child to school safely,
and I'm wondering if you've seen that help close the loop.
You discussed that the foundation was started in twenty fourteen
three million safe rides for kids to just get to school.
How do you think that that helps close the loop
(13:58):
of children avoiding being homeless in the future.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Absolutely so. Looking at Seattle, for example, looking at King County,
homeless students typically they have to significantly higher rates of
chronic absenteeism. Looking at the statistics, fifty seven percent during
the twenty twenty two to twenty twenty three school year
compared to other students. It's much much higher for students
(14:26):
who are experiencing homelessness, they are missing school and transportation
in addition to some of the other services and impacts
that school district officials are looking at to try and
address chronic aps andeism and ensure that kids are in school.
Transportation is a solution that we would encourage school districts
(14:52):
to consider. It is a simple, remarkably effective way to
think about if a kid can't it is. It is
an incredibly simple effective solution. A student can't stay in
school if they can't get to school, and so looking
(15:14):
at solutions like nimble flexible networks of vetted local caregivers
are care drivers that are providing safe, reliable rides to
and from school. That is a significant solution that we
(15:34):
encourage everybody to consider.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I love it so much and I completely agree with you.
It only takes one step to start a path of success,
and sometimes you know you need to fill in the
gaps after that first step. There has to be step two,
step three. But you can't do step two, step three
if that first one doesn't exist.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
And that is just getting to school.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
And I love that everything this organization is doing again
Cindy Hamilton with Hop Skip Drive.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
I love doing this on my show. It is my
absolute pleasure to ask this question.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
But I'm going to tell you a little story that
has stuck with me for my entire life, and I
want to see if you want to share one of yours.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
So there is it's a short story poem.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
I don't know what literary genre it would fall under,
but anyway, there's a little girl on a beach. Tons
of starfish was washed up, and she's throwing them back
into the water, and a gentleman comes up and says,
that doesn't matter. You can't save them all, and she
chucks one into the sea and says it matters to
that one. And then a former or a latter iteration
(16:43):
of that had the gentleman actually joining in with her
and throwing the starfish into the sea. And I was
wondering if you had any particular starfish stories you might
want to.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Share for a student or for a family experiencing homelessness.
There's so many challenges that they face. You and I
have talked about it, and there's research that talks about transportation.
It's still one of the biggest challenges facing these students.
And right now, chronic bus driver shortages, budgets constraints. Existing
(17:18):
school transportation systems are stretched and officials are doing everything
they can to support students that are experiencing homelessness. And
when there are the same transportation systems school buses that
(17:40):
are working through fixed routes, they are so effective for
a number of different populations. When we're looking at students
that are moving quite frequently that are experiencing homelessness, those
school buses may not be the best choice. They're not optimized.
Knowing that we are bringing forward a solution that is
(18:06):
the best option for these students that are experiencing homelessness,
that is a small, manageable solution that brings me a
lot of comfort.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
I like that because you're not even speaking for your
own children, you're speaking for those that you help.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
So that's really lovely. Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Okay, Well let's get into how other people can get involved.
I mean, you talked very in depth about what the
vetting process is, which is great because if people are
putting their children in someone else's hands, that's amazing to
know that what hop skip drive does will ensure that
they will be safe and will have caregivers on board.
(18:51):
But what can people out here do to actually enhance
or help?
Speaker 3 (18:57):
And if those who.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
Are out there that qualify to be caregivers, how do
we go about it?
Speaker 2 (19:03):
For individuals that believe that they would qualify to become
a care driver, visiting hopskip drive dot com is the
best place to start to understand how to begin the
application process. School districts that are interested in working with
hopskip drive or want to learn more about our services
(19:24):
should also visit hopskip drive dot com. Currently we work
with more than ten thousand schools.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
That's a lot.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Wow, it is a lot.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Sorry, I didn't know as that much.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
That's okay, that's okay, Yeah, it's we across seventeen states
have partnerships with school districts and nonprofits and government agencies,
and we work directly with more than ten thousand schools
to provide a transportation solution that may be a terrific
(19:59):
op for students who are experiencing homelessness. As well as
students who are in the foster care system, as well
as students who can need a safe, reliable ride to
and from school. So it's an appropriate solution. It's an
additional tool in the toolkit for district officials as they
(20:21):
look at the best ways to have kids get to
school on time, reliably and safely.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
That's fantastic and it's great to know that there are
a lot of people out here that want to help,
and so I love just relaying that message out here
to let people know how they can and also for
parents out there. And we didn't necessarily talk about the
foster care system. I was only focusing on houselessness and
(20:51):
that how do foster care systems work? Is it exactly
the same as anyone who would like to access hop
skip drive.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
We have partnerships with, as an example, the Michigan Department
of Health and Human Services, which provides services to families
and students and kids in the foster care system. And
so oftentimes those students will have additional appointments outside of
(21:22):
the school day, and so they need transportation, and so
that transportation will be provided to them through the Department
of Health and Human Services, and it will be safe,
reliable rides through hop skip drive. Students who are in
the foster care system attend school and they as well
(21:43):
need those rides, and so those rides are provided by
the school district and the school district will work with
hop skip drive because these students often may be highly mobile,
just like students who are experiencing homelessness. Again, hop skip
drive is going to be a good choice because that
nimble network of that local caregivers. Care drivers are a
(22:06):
terrific solution because it can be a challenge to take
a fixed bus route that is set on a route
and change that for a student that might have moved
or may have had a placement that has changed, and
so having access to a more nimble solution like hopskip
(22:28):
drive is often a good solution for school district working
to provide transportation for a student in foster care.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
While we have Cindy Hamilton here with hop skip drive,
I'd like you to tell the listeners one more thing
or anything else that people can learn about this organization.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Sure Sure school districts across King County, across Seattle, they
work incredibly hard to arrange safe, reliable transportation for their
students and it's an incredible challenge to look at all
of the options, and we deeply appreciate their hard work
(23:10):
to ensure that they are building a transportation mix that
is going to safely and reliably deliver students to school
on time. And one option is hop skip drive. It's
rides from a network of vetted safe caregivers care drivers.
(23:31):
And when we're talking about students experiencing homelessness, students that
are in the foster care system, students that are highly mobile,
it can be difficult to arrange that reliable transportation that
is so important so that kids don't miss school. And
(23:51):
one good option is hopskip drive. Because of that nimble
network and those district officials, school district heroes that are
working so quickly to arrange transportation. Hopskip drive is a
good option because rides can be arranged in as little
as six hours, and it's a good solution that we
(24:14):
hope school districts will consider.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
I really hope that more do, because it sounds like
amazing work that you're doing. Again, Sindny Hamilton with hopskip Drive,
thank you so much for your time, Thank you for
everything that you do for this organization.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
And for those in our local communities.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
It's absolutely fantastic and I can't believe seventeen states. I
didn't know that when we started this conversation until you
told me.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
But it's not just here in Seattle.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
It is across a lot of spots, and it is
obviously a great need being filled by your organization.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
So thank you very much for joining me today.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
You're welcome.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
You've been listening to Seattle Voice, presented by iHeartRadio Seattle.
I'm Jessman McIntyre. For show ideas or to find out
how your voice can be heard
This is Jessamin McIntyre, your host of Seattle Voice, your
community voice presented by iHeartRadio Seattle. And joining me now
is Cindy Hamilton with Hop Skip Drive one. Thank you
for your time too. How are you today?
Speaker 2 (00:13):
You're welcome and I'm fine. Thank you good.
Speaker 1 (00:17):
I know that you are physically in Chicago right now.
But we were talking a little bit about the weather
and I know that a little bit of sunshine can
make someone's stay even if it's a little bitter cold.
Speaker 3 (00:28):
And are you feeling that out there today?
Speaker 2 (00:31):
I am feeling that out there. Give me all of
the sun.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Yes, I just need some light in my life, which
is why I have you on today, and that is
the point of this show. Let's talk about the good
that people are doing in the community, and Seattle Voice
gives me that opportunity. Hop Skip Drive is is an
organization that brings light to homeless youth and I wanted
(00:54):
to ask you exactly what they do.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
Sure, we are a technology pumpy Hopskift Drive is a
technology company and we solve complex transportation challenges where there
is a heightened need for safety, equity and care. And
we do this by arranging care center transportation. So this
(01:18):
these are rides from vetted local caregivers. They're called care drivers,
and we work directly with school districts, with nonprofits, and
with government agencies across seventeen states. School districts use hopskip
drives to supplement the existing transportation that they have for kids.
(01:41):
And so a lot of times this looks for looks
like buses, it could be other small vehicles. It can
be really challenging when we're talking about youth that are
experiencing homelessness. They move a lot, they're highly mobile, and
it can be difficult for school district to ensure that
(02:01):
those students are able to get to school. It can
be challenging to look at a fixed bus route to
reroute it to ensure that a student is picked up
and taken to school on time. And because Hops get
Drive has this nimble network of care drivers, those vetted
local caregivers that are available and can be quickly mobilized,
(02:27):
a ride can be arranged in as little as six
hours by a school district. These students who may be
experiencing homelessness, who may be moving frequently, can then get
picked up so that they don't miss a day of school.
We're talking about chronic apps andeeism when you're looking at
this population of students who are experiencing homelessness, and it's
(02:49):
so important to look at the ways that kids get
to school and if we want to ensure that they
are attending and are going to school on a day
to day basis, looking at safe, reliable transportation is a
terrific solution. And that's where we come in. Seattle is
(03:11):
no stranger to increasing rates of homelessness. There are students
across Kin County that are, unfortunately, their numbers are rising
in terms of experiencing homelessness, and then their numbers are
rising in terms of experiencing chronic absenteeism in missing school.
And so having hopskip drive as a solution and as
(03:34):
a tool in the toolkit of area school districts is
something that we're proud to be a part.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Of, absolutely and it sounds like a very first step
in just taking something off the plate of all of
the experiences, the negative experiences that those facing homelessness actually
have to go through. And Cindy Hamilton here with hop
skip drive, how do you find and I think I
have a this question hits a couple different levels, because
(04:02):
I think anyone who is a parent, regardless of their
housing status, would wonder who is going to drive my
child to school? How do you find these people as
a volunteer based and what's the vetting system when it
comes to drivers for hop skip drive.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
That's a great question. It is so true that parents
and caregivers are often wondering the best option for transportation
for their children. Our State of School Transportation survey last
year found that more than three quarters, so seventy nine
percent of parents and caregivers say that they are driving
(04:46):
their children to and from school. And not everybody has
access to a personal vehicle, not everybody has the ability
to take time away from work or other obligations to
commit to that driving, And forty percent of these parents
reported that their schools have eliminated or reduced their children's
(05:08):
school bus services, So it's a real challenge for folks.
Hop skip Drive works directly with school districts, and school
districts can then offer hop skip drive as an option
as they are looking at their entire transportation system and
looking at what's available and their routing, and so they'll
(05:30):
build hopskip drive into the tools that they do offer
their student population that receive school transportation and as far
as the vetting and the care drivers, VETT is local
caregivers that are behind the wheel. These are former nurses,
(05:52):
former teachers. Care drivers with hopskip Drive must have at
least five years of caregiving experience and then they go
through an extensive fifteen point certification process to become a
Hop Skip Drive care driver.
Speaker 1 (06:07):
That's really awesome for those out there who could utilize
the service. Again, we have Cindy Hamilton joining me Jessamin
McIntyre on Seattle Voice. You are Community Voice presented by
Heart Radio Seattle and Cindy are those who need to
utilize the service or want to use this service necessarily
(06:27):
have to be houseless to apply and if you could
take me through the application process or how you find
those or match those up who are in need with
the care drivers.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
So the school district is arranging the transportation for students.
Government agencies, nonprofits, agencies that support kids who might be
in the foster care system. If they are providing transportation,
they will work directly with Hop Skip Drive to arrange
(07:00):
those rides. Is an option to what they then deliver
to those receiving services. If parents or caregivers are interested
in hopskip Drive, they should talk to their school district
to see if we can be an option for them,
or visit our website at hopskip drive dot com to
learn more.
Speaker 1 (07:20):
Okay, great, Yeah, I was going to ask you how
people can find out about it. I mean, I've gone
on the website and everything, but I think it's important
for people to know. And as you know, I don't
have children myself, but I have a little brother and sister,
and I do have a Nieza nephew that I care
about very much. And as someone who cares about those
who are going to school, I know that it's really
(07:41):
great to have that resource out there for one their
own vetting process. Okay, can I do this? Have you
seen that vetting process go through? Do you have people
ever come in? They can read website and everything, but
do you have people that come in to talk to
either you or a member of the organization.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
We are always looking for interested individuals to become a
hop skip drive care driver. This is an opportunity for
additional flexible income. It's possible for care drivers to earn
up to fifty dollars per ride and we often hear
from care drivers that it's meaningful work and it supports
(08:27):
the success of students in their community. And we encourage
individuals to visit hopskip drive dot com and then they
can learn more about going through the certification process and
what's involved. They can set their own schedule, they can
(08:47):
choose rides that might work for them. Many care drivers
will drive just a few hours a week, so it's
additional flexible income for many.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Oh there is income.
Speaker 1 (09:02):
Yeah, I was going to ask you because this is
a wonderful organization and it is hard to find even
pennies these days to fund such programs.
Speaker 3 (09:10):
How is it funded?
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Care drivers that want to drive with hopskit Drive, they
will complete our fifteen point certification process, five years of
caregiving experience, a minimum of three years of driving experience.
They can submit proof of vehicle insurance, they're valid driver's license,
(09:33):
vehicle registration. They go through a criminal record check. They
have a good driving record, so do a video screening
to share their caregiving experience and allow hopskit drive to
understand their background, fingerprinting, a child abuse and neglect scan.
(09:54):
It's quite extensive because we want to ensure that because
safety is number one at hop skip Drive. All care
drivers are completing this vetting process and then hopskip drive
works directly with school districts and so we will enter
into an agreement and partner with a school district to
(10:18):
arrange transportation for the school year, and then the individual
care drivers work with hop skip drive to earn the
income when they are providing those safe, reliable rides to
and from school for students.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Okay, so it does essentially come from the school district,
is what I'm hearing?
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Is that correct?
Speaker 2 (10:39):
Yeah, hopskip drive works directly with the school districts, and
then Hop skip Drive care drivers are working with hopskip
drive to become a part of the platform and have
access to the ride so that they can build their
schedule and choose to drive a student to and from school,
(11:00):
and then they receive the earnings for those rides directly
from hopskip Drive.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Oh okay, I see, thank you very much.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
I think that a lot of people are curious about
programs and where the funding comes from and also how
to support the funding of such programs because there is
an unbelievable need right now. So I always like to
make it transparent for people so they know exactly how
they can help.
Speaker 3 (11:25):
Again, Cindy Hamilton.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Is here with hopskip Drive, and I actually really like
to learn about the people who join me on these shows,
and I was wondering how you got involved and what
your passion was the trophy there.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
I'm a mom, I have three children, and I deeply
understand the challenges of transportation, ensuring that my kids are
able to get to school, that they have access to
equitable and safe and reliable transportation through the bus or
(12:02):
other options. And when I learned about some of the
challenges that we're facing school districts across the country when
they are faced with navigating bus driver shortages, funding challenges,
and that it can be really hard to have that
access to transportation for everybody, I wanted to be a
(12:23):
part of telling that story. Hopskip Drive was founded by
three working mothers just like myself, wow, and they understood
the need as I did too. And more than three
million rides have been completed since that company. More than
three million rides have been completed since our founders started
(12:48):
hopskip Drive in twenty fourteen. I wanted to be a
part of it.
Speaker 3 (12:52):
Congratulations on being a part of it.
Speaker 1 (12:55):
I always it's you know, you see a problem, you
want to help, a verrabo and sometimes you wonder exactly how.
And for me personally, when I see when I can't
fix it drives me insane and I always try to
do anything I can help. And that is why I
have the privilege of hosting this show where we can
(13:15):
work together to get the word out about what people
can do. So thank you for not only being an advocate,
but actually getting your hands in it and being a
part of everything that you do. So I appreciate that
and it's close to your heart too, So thank you.
You're welcome Sidney Hamilton here with Hop Skip Drive. And
I'm wondering if you have seen the output of results
(13:38):
when basically you had mentioned earlier that you just want
it's one step to get a child to school safely,
and I'm wondering if you've seen that help close the loop.
You discussed that the foundation was started in twenty fourteen
three million safe rides for kids to just get to school.
How do you think that that helps close the loop
(13:58):
of children avoiding being homeless in the future.
Speaker 2 (14:02):
Absolutely so. Looking at Seattle, for example, looking at King County,
homeless students typically they have to significantly higher rates of
chronic absenteeism. Looking at the statistics, fifty seven percent during
the twenty twenty two to twenty twenty three school year
compared to other students. It's much much higher for students
(14:26):
who are experiencing homelessness, they are missing school and transportation
in addition to some of the other services and impacts
that school district officials are looking at to try and
address chronic aps andeism and ensure that kids are in school.
Transportation is a solution that we would encourage school districts
(14:52):
to consider. It is a simple, remarkably effective way to
think about if a kid can't it is. It is
an incredibly simple effective solution. A student can't stay in
school if they can't get to school, and so looking
(15:14):
at solutions like nimble flexible networks of vetted local caregivers
are care drivers that are providing safe, reliable rides to
and from school. That is a significant solution that we
(15:34):
encourage everybody to consider.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
I love it so much and I completely agree with you.
It only takes one step to start a path of success,
and sometimes you know you need to fill in the
gaps after that first step. There has to be step two,
step three. But you can't do step two, step three
if that first one doesn't exist.
Speaker 3 (15:55):
And that is just getting to school.
Speaker 1 (15:57):
And I love that everything this organization is doing again
Cindy Hamilton with Hop Skip Drive.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
I love doing this on my show. It is my
absolute pleasure to ask this question.
Speaker 1 (16:09):
But I'm going to tell you a little story that
has stuck with me for my entire life, and I
want to see if you want to share one of yours.
Speaker 3 (16:17):
So there is it's a short story poem.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
I don't know what literary genre it would fall under,
but anyway, there's a little girl on a beach. Tons
of starfish was washed up, and she's throwing them back
into the water, and a gentleman comes up and says,
that doesn't matter. You can't save them all, and she
chucks one into the sea and says it matters to
that one. And then a former or a latter iteration
(16:43):
of that had the gentleman actually joining in with her
and throwing the starfish into the sea. And I was
wondering if you had any particular starfish stories you might
want to.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
Share for a student or for a family experiencing homelessness.
There's so many challenges that they face. You and I
have talked about it, and there's research that talks about transportation.
It's still one of the biggest challenges facing these students.
And right now, chronic bus driver shortages, budgets constraints. Existing
(17:18):
school transportation systems are stretched and officials are doing everything
they can to support students that are experiencing homelessness. And
when there are the same transportation systems school buses that
(17:40):
are working through fixed routes, they are so effective for
a number of different populations. When we're looking at students
that are moving quite frequently that are experiencing homelessness, those
school buses may not be the best choice. They're not optimized.
Knowing that we are bringing forward a solution that is
(18:06):
the best option for these students that are experiencing homelessness,
that is a small, manageable solution that brings me a
lot of comfort.
Speaker 1 (18:20):
I like that because you're not even speaking for your
own children, you're speaking for those that you help.
Speaker 3 (18:25):
So that's really lovely. Yeah, that's great.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
Okay, Well let's get into how other people can get involved.
I mean, you talked very in depth about what the
vetting process is, which is great because if people are
putting their children in someone else's hands, that's amazing to
know that what hop skip drive does will ensure that
they will be safe and will have caregivers on board.
(18:51):
But what can people out here do to actually enhance
or help?
Speaker 3 (18:57):
And if those who.
Speaker 1 (18:58):
Are out there that qualify to be caregivers, how do
we go about it?
Speaker 2 (19:03):
For individuals that believe that they would qualify to become
a care driver, visiting hopskip drive dot com is the
best place to start to understand how to begin the
application process. School districts that are interested in working with
hopskip drive or want to learn more about our services
(19:24):
should also visit hopskip drive dot com. Currently we work
with more than ten thousand schools.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
That's a lot.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Wow, it is a lot.
Speaker 3 (19:33):
Sorry, I didn't know as that much.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
That's okay, that's okay, Yeah, it's we across seventeen states
have partnerships with school districts and nonprofits and government agencies,
and we work directly with more than ten thousand schools
to provide a transportation solution that may be a terrific
(19:59):
op for students who are experiencing homelessness. As well as
students who are in the foster care system, as well
as students who can need a safe, reliable ride to
and from school. So it's an appropriate solution. It's an
additional tool in the toolkit for district officials as they
(20:21):
look at the best ways to have kids get to
school on time, reliably and safely.
Speaker 1 (20:28):
That's fantastic and it's great to know that there are
a lot of people out here that want to help,
and so I love just relaying that message out here
to let people know how they can and also for
parents out there. And we didn't necessarily talk about the
foster care system. I was only focusing on houselessness and
(20:51):
that how do foster care systems work? Is it exactly
the same as anyone who would like to access hop
skip drive.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
We have partnerships with, as an example, the Michigan Department
of Health and Human Services, which provides services to families
and students and kids in the foster care system. And
so oftentimes those students will have additional appointments outside of
(21:22):
the school day, and so they need transportation, and so
that transportation will be provided to them through the Department
of Health and Human Services, and it will be safe,
reliable rides through hop skip drive. Students who are in
the foster care system attend school and they as well
(21:43):
need those rides, and so those rides are provided by
the school district and the school district will work with
hop skip drive because these students often may be highly mobile,
just like students who are experiencing homelessness. Again, hop skip
drive is going to be a good choice because that
nimble network of that local caregivers. Care drivers are a
(22:06):
terrific solution because it can be a challenge to take
a fixed bus route that is set on a route
and change that for a student that might have moved
or may have had a placement that has changed, and
so having access to a more nimble solution like hopskip
(22:28):
drive is often a good solution for school district working
to provide transportation for a student in foster care.
Speaker 1 (22:35):
While we have Cindy Hamilton here with hop skip drive,
I'd like you to tell the listeners one more thing
or anything else that people can learn about this organization.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Sure Sure school districts across King County, across Seattle, they
work incredibly hard to arrange safe, reliable transportation for their
students and it's an incredible challenge to look at all
of the options, and we deeply appreciate their hard work
(23:10):
to ensure that they are building a transportation mix that
is going to safely and reliably deliver students to school
on time. And one option is hop skip drive. It's
rides from a network of vetted safe caregivers care drivers.
(23:31):
And when we're talking about students experiencing homelessness, students that
are in the foster care system, students that are highly mobile,
it can be difficult to arrange that reliable transportation that
is so important so that kids don't miss school. And
(23:51):
one good option is hopskip drive. Because of that nimble
network and those district officials, school district heroes that are
working so quickly to arrange transportation. Hopskip drive is a
good option because rides can be arranged in as little
as six hours, and it's a good solution that we
(24:14):
hope school districts will consider.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
I really hope that more do, because it sounds like
amazing work that you're doing. Again, Sindny Hamilton with hopskip Drive,
thank you so much for your time, Thank you for
everything that you do for this organization.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
And for those in our local communities.
Speaker 1 (24:30):
It's absolutely fantastic and I can't believe seventeen states. I
didn't know that when we started this conversation until you
told me.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
But it's not just here in Seattle.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
It is across a lot of spots, and it is
obviously a great need being filled by your organization.
Speaker 3 (24:47):
So thank you very much for joining me today.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
You're welcome.
Speaker 1 (24:51):
You've been listening to Seattle Voice, presented by iHeartRadio Seattle.
I'm Jessman McIntyre. For show ideas or to find out
how your voice can be heard
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