More than 600 homeless children have boarded this eye-catching bus. Here’s why it matters

The school bus doors opened for 5-year-old Ashley, dressed in a pink and purple puffer jacket, as pebble-sized snowflakes pelted the parking lot pavement.

On the early April morning, the young girl was met with a burst of warmth — upbeat music played from a portable speaker and bright colors festooned the interior. Ashley immediately sat on a plush stool to draw with an orange marker, her beaded hair gracing her forehead as she quietly scribbled.

Not far behind, the little feet of Wadley, Esther and Emmanuel all climbed the bus steps.

Parked for the morning at a Shrewsbury motel being used by the state as an emergency assistance shelter for homeless families with children, this isn’t a typical yellow school bus — it’s a traveling classroom.

The COLORI Playspace Express, operated by the international nonprofit Amal Alliance, brings early childhood education and social-emotional learning directly to shelters located around the state, including Lexington, Revere, Auburn, Worcester, Marlborough, Shrewsbury, Hudson and Milford.

Since its inception last June, more than 600 kids younger than 6 — who otherwise wouldn’t have had access to structured learning — have boarded the bus, greeted by friendly teachers and a mecca of toys and activities.

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The weekly enrichment programming works to “bring calm and tranquility” to an uncertain, transitional time in these children’s lives, Danielle De La Fuente, CEO of the Amal Alliance, said.

“These are the most formative years of their life, the most important for brain development,” she said, noting that many of the kids have experienced varying levels of trauma and are exposed to toxic stress.

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Children in the shelter system

Over the last two years, as migrant families flooded Massachusetts and homelessness in general was on the rise, the state had unprecedented numbers of young children residing in its emergency assistance shelters, many of which were contracted hotels and motels.

In 2023, Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency when the shelter system reached capacity with 7,500 families enrolled, about 50% migrant families and 50% permanent Massachusetts residents.

Public schools in Massachusetts reported nearly 31,000 homeless students during the 2023-2024 school year, 3,000 of whom were “newly arrived” and residing in the shelter system.

The state was faced with the pressing need to provide supports for the children who weren’t yet school-aged.

Ultimately, officials at the Executive Office of Education and Department of Early Education and Care contracted with the Amal Alliance, which serves displaced children around the world with its evidence-based “Colors of Kindness” curriculum, to provide structured, trauma-based education on-site at the shelters. Neighborhood Villages and Horizons for Homeless Children are also partners in the initiative.

The state pays the full cost of the bus programming.

“I had seen a library bus before, and I said, ‘Why don’t we just use a bus as a classroom?’” De La Fuente said. “The space is so inviting and welcoming. It just feels like a safe place for kids to learn, and to laugh, and to play. The kids see the bus and run toward it.”

The Boston University School of Social Work is currently studying the traveling classroom program, and “everything is indicating we are seeing great progress,” she said.

‘Everybody benefits’ from the classroom bus

Teacher Alicia Blair organized puppets and flower pillows as she waited for her students to board the bus on April 8. They had been to this particular shelter in Shrewsbury several times and affectionately knew the kids who would be joining.

Esther had been coming out of her shell, the teachers said. Emmanuel was “ready for school.”

Being able to track the progress is perhaps the most rewarding part of their visits.

“We see a lot of change in focus level,” Blair said. “When children come on the bus, they’re kind of all over the place, distracted by every sight and sound. And by the time we leave, they’re able to fully engage and work together. They’ve gained interpersonal connections and are learning those social skills.”

Social skills gained on the bus, she said, can be transferred to other areas of their lives.

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Painted on the outside with bright blues, greens and yellows, the bus has been renovated with bench seating, play space and storage for toys and activities.

On this particular April morning, the children focused on teamwork. They practiced deep breathing and movement to regulate their bodies and emotions.

Wadley and Emmanuel built airplanes. Esther reluctantly — but eventually — performed a “crab walk.” Ashley colored an “emotions thermometer,” pairing colors with certain feelings.

They each dropped something in the “sunny day jar,” a collection of drawings depicting what makes them happy.

Claude Francois, operations director of the COLORI Playspace Express, drives the bus — giving her a unique vantage point when it pulls into the shelter parking lots.

“It’s been tremendous, the kids love it,” Francois said. “It’s a different place to be safe, away from being in the shelter. A space for them to decompress, to have fun and just be a child. You see the difference at the end of the cohort, you see the impact. They develop friends and play together.”

The hour-long lessons aboard the bus also give parents their own “respite,” she said.

“They’re going through a lot themselves and trying to get settled,” said Francois. “If they have to look for housing, go to appointments, or just need to take a breath. Overall, everybody benefits. It supports everybody.”

Parents who spoke to MassLive in Haitian Creole through a translator said they’re thrilled for the opportunities the bus gives their children. After just one hour spent on it, they said, they see progress in their skills and behavior.

One parent said he’s used the free hour to attend job interviews.

By the time the lesson ended, the snowfall had ceased, and, reflecting the energy inside the bus, the sun was bearing down brightly. The kids scattered back to their motel rooms.